Comelec rank-and-file employees issued an unusually direct call for voters to make sharper, more deliberate choices in the next elections, warning that public frustration over corruption will only get worse if citizens keep electing officials who fail them.
The Comelec Employees Union, representing more than 5,000 staff nationwide, raised a large streamer at the agency’s Intramuros office urging Filipinos to rethink how they choose leaders. Campaigns and advocacy director Mac Ramirez told voters, “As citizens of a democracy, it is our responsibility to not just vote, but to vote wisely.”
Ramirez said the ballot remains the most powerful tool the public has to secure honest governance. “Voting is our direct means of ensuring that leaders with integrity are elected to office. Gising na bayan, bumoto ng tama. By way of our votes, we have the power to secure a government that is clean, honest, and dedicated to the welfare of the people,” he said.
The union pressed eligible Filipinos to register early, saying disengagement weakens democratic safeguards. Comelec-EU National President Imelda Panis warned against wasting the chance to influence the country’s direction. “Your vote is your voice. Don’t miss the opportunity to be heard and to help shape the future of our country.”
The reminder comes as the poll body prepares for the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections and the first Bangsamoro parliamentary vote. Registration for the 2026 cycle reopened on October 20 and will run until May 18 next year, except in Bangsamoro areas where the parliamentary polls remain suspended.
Comelec reported more than 700,000 registration applicants as of November 30—about half of the agency’s target of 1.4 million new voters.
