LEGAZPI CITY -- “It’s all systems go.”
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chief in Albay said this on Friday, assuring their group's readiness for the May 13 mid-term national and local election.
Fr. Rex Arjona PPCRV chairman, said they would be fielding 3,000 volunteers to man and undertake poll watching, election result monitoring and validating, including the setting up of Voter's Assistance Desk in all polling places in the three cities and 15 towns of Albay.
Aside from the volunteers, the council has organized Quick Response Teams with five members each in all 45 parishes across the province to monitor, validate and respond to any election concerns that may come in, Arjona said in a phone interview.
He said that special attention would be given to the towns of Daraga, Libon, and Legazpi where election violence and sightings of an armed group had been reported.
The PPCRV would set its headquarters at the Sedcen building where the Veritas station is located at LandCo complex here in the city’s business district.
He, however, said compared to the previous election, the PPCRV would no longer hold a “Quick Count,” though according to him, the council as the recognized citizens' arm on election, would be entitled to get a copy of the election returns at the precinct level.
“This has been the agreement during the previous elections where we obtain at least 97 percent of the election returns,” said Arjona, who is also the executive director of the church-based Social Action Center (SAC) of the Legazpi Diocese.
Comelec data indicate that in Albay, there are 1,312 clustered election precincts with a total of 742,204 registered voters. (PNA)
