ON June 1, 2020, I created the Facebook Group called “Ask Comelec” (https://facebook.com/groups/askcomelec) as a response to the need to make online alternatives available to the general public eager to see to their voter registrations. The problem was that, with the Comelec deploying only skeleton work forces, my Department—the Education and Information Department—which is responsible for fielding queries from the public, wasn’t particularly well-equipped to handle telephone inquiries. And so, we turned to the one online platform that we were reasonably sure everyone had some access to—either directly or through friends and family.
Now, we have more than 500 members and still steadily growing. The questions are coming in, with most inquiries dealing with, not surprisingly, voter registration. For the most part, the administrators of the Group (called Admins), respond to these questions but lately, we’ve seen more people—regular people not connected with the Comelec— posting replies to queries, purely on their own intiative. Needless to say, this is a welcome development that shows the Group is well on its way. However, we’re also being very careful about it. Our Admins monitor these responses closely, fully aware that this is one of the ways misinformation can creep in. So far, however, no such problems.
The questions posted on the group fall into two broad categories. Routine questions—or questions that are frequently asked or which can be adequately responded to by quoting or referring to the appropriate Comelec rules and Resolutions—are answered immediately, subject only to the availability of Admins.
For example, we got this question: “How can one transfer his/her registration? Thank you.”
This is considered a routine question since it deals with an established process and, well, we get asked this a lot. So we replied:
“Once #VoterReg2020 resumes, you may apply for Transfer of Registration Records from one City/District/Municipality to another by personally appearing before the Office of the Election Officer [OEO] of your new residence with your accomplished application form.
“Download the application form here: https://comelec.gov.ph/; Print the form using substance 20, legal-sized bond paper [Note that the form is 1 page only, back-to-back]; Tick the oval appropriate to your type of registration and supply the necessary information in the blank fields; Personally appear before the OEO of your new residence to submit your accomplished form and undergo the digital capturing of biometrics information [picture, fingerprints and signature]. Bring at least one valid ID with photograph and signature, which reflects your new residence address as proof of residence.
“Forms are available for free at the OEO, but the applicant may opt to do steps 1 and 2 above to save time. However, it should only be signed and thumb marked before the registration staff. Hope this info helps.”
Now this is one of the more detailed responses simply because the question called for a rundown of the multi-step process. Some questions, however, require only simple responses. So, to the question: “What if Senior Citizen is the one who needs Voter’s Certification, can I just send a representative?,” the reply was similarly brief: “Good afternoon! You may get a voter’s certification in behalf of the senior citizen provided that an authorization letter is provided by the senior, a photocopy of his/her ID, and your ID.”
Responding to nonroutine questions—those which are novel, infrequently asked, or which requires the application of pertinent Comelec rules and Resolutions—is a little more process heavy.
Depending on how “tough” the question is, it is either responded to directly by the Directors of the Education and Information Department, or is referred to a resource person in the relevant Office, Division, or Department in the Comelec. Occasionally, a question is directly escalated to the appropriate Department Director. The response from the resource person is then returned to the Admins—all of whom are Information Officers of the EID by the way—who are tasked at that point to prepare the responses for posting.
Most often, this “processing” involves translating the responses to Filipino. On occasion, the Admins are also expected to insert links to online resources—such as uploaded copies of Comelec resolutions referred to in the response. Once that’s done, the prepared response is posted online.
One interesting example of a non-routine question asked us to explain the usefulness of a voter’s certificate. “I just want to know what is the purpose of voter’s certificate? If you’re registered and voting, why do you still have this?”
In response, we posted: “The voter’s certificate is your proof that you are a registered voter of a particular place. It is used by many government offices—such as the DFA and various LGUs—as a valid form of identification. As you pointed out, if you’re a registered voter, you’re not required to get one. You certainly don’t need it to exercise your right to vote. But it is a useful document to have nonetheless.”
The Group has only been up 21 days, and we anticipate more questions to come up as we get closer to the resumption of voter registration. Covid-19 disrupted the election calendar and not just for voters. As we get closer to the elections of 2022, even candidates, stakeholder groups, and other political actors will have lots of questions about how we’re getting back on track and how we’re dealing with the need to work safely around the challenges posed by the pandemic. We expect that “Ask COMELEC” (https://facebook.com/groups/askcomelec) will only grow bigger as it becomes an indispensable component of our new normal.