PPCRV picked as citizens’ arm

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday recognized the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) as the poll body’s official citizens’ arm in the 2013 national and local elections.

In a resolution, the Comelec granted the petition for accreditation of the PPCRV, saying that it has established its track record as one of the commission’s “staunch allies in ensuring clean, orderly, peaceful and honest elections.” The Commission has tasked PPCRV certain duties such as conducting poll watch in various precincts during the elections; providing assistance to voters, especially to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, preg- nant women, detainees and indigenous people; assisting the poll body in its voters’ information and education campaign.

The Catholic Church- based poll watchdog will receive electronic copies of the voters’ list and project of precincts, and will be furnished the fourth copy of the Precinct Count Optical Scan or PCOS machine election returns.

PPCRV claims to have a “mass based constituency composed of in- dividuals of voting age and registered voters, with operating chapters based in the various parishes in provinces, cities and municipalities throughout the country.”

Its council membership has grown in number as shown in the 2010 Automated National and Local Elections, where 657,000 PPCRV members and volunteers from 3,333 parishes nationwide participated in poll watching and election related activities.