MANILA, Philippines – A non-government organization has launched an information drive to educate voters on the new automated system to be used in the May elections in the Philippines.

With only 2 months left, the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research Inc. (EILER) through its project “Workers’ Electoral Watch” or WE Watch, released various informational materials containing simple steps for the new voting process.

“The materials contain simplified steps for the new voting process using popular forms that will encourage voters to learn and not to alienate voters who are not computer-users,” said Joselito Natividad, EILER executive director and lead convenor of WE-Watch.

Info materials

The information materials comes in various popular forms such as a 4-minute video, poster, infocards, and comics that will be distributed among unions, organizations and worker-communities.

The labor sector-based non-governmental organization intends to disseminate the materials to target cities including Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Baguio, Subic, Cebu, Metro Davao, Bacolod and Iloilo.

“Under the automated system, voters cannot afford to make a single mistake while filling-up their ballots. The Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine may not read or invalidate their votes if voters are not aware of the basic information on how to cast their votes. This will lead to disenfranchisement due to insufficient information relayed to them,” said Natividad.

Animated clip

WE-Watch's video is an animated clip featuring the step-by-step process in casting one's votes under the Automated Election System, the equipment that will be used in the precincts, and a preview on how votes are to be counted under the AES.

Viewers are also introduced to a short messaging service (SMS) hotline to which they may report any incident of fraud during the elections.

Other materials contain the same information with additional information on how citizens should protect their votes against electoral fraud under AES.

The materials were made by EILER with funding from the European Union under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) program.

WE Watch is also a network of unions, workers, and organizations that provides a venue for the active participation of workers in 2010 elections through voters education campaign, electoral monitoring against fraud, and building policy-recommendations on the use of AES.

EILER said it encourages everyone to reproduce and distribute the video. Through its website, EILER made available the materials through the WE-Watch website at www.we-watch.net while hard copies may also be requested through the Internet site.