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The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) is a bona fide non-partisan parish-based association duly organized by and composed of civic-minded citizens drawn from various sectors of the Philippine society.
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The PPCRV is mandated to help from the civic conscience of the Filipino voters and campaign for an honest, meaningful, and peaceful elections.
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Among the duties of the PPCRV is to assist the Commission on Elections in voter’s information and values education in every municipality, province and city including highly urbanized cities.
What is the PPCRV?
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) is a bona fide non-partisan parish-based association duly organized by and composed of civic-minded citizens drawn from various sectors of the Philippine society, mandated to help from the civic conscience of the Filipino voters and campaign for an honest, meaningful, and peaceful elections.
The PPCRV has a mass-based national constituency composed of individuals of voting age and registered voters, with operating chapters based in the various parishes in provinces, cities and municipalities throughout the country, which carry out all orders, instructions and/or directives/promulgated by the PPCRV’s National and Local Elections where almost 500,000 PPCRV members and volunteers from 2,670 parishes, including 23 Partner-Christian and Secular Organizations/Associations (NGOs) deployed in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) participated in all watching and election-related activities. (COMELEC SPP No. 07-026, dated 11 October 2007)
The PPCRV, as a non-partisan association, commits to the following:
- “It is not supporting any candidate, political party, organization or coalition of political parties involved in the [elections];
- It shall remain strictly non-partisan and impartial during the entire electoral exercise;
- It is not supported by or under the influence of any foreign government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or of any foreign [entity], whether natural or [juridical];
- It does not seek to achieve its objectives, goals or programs through violence or other unlawful means, nor aim to propagate any ideology opposed to the principles of a republican and democratic government, and that it will undertake to police its ranks and prevent infiltration by persons or groups of persons who may, directly or indirectly, destroy its character of non-partisanship and impartiality.”
What are the duties of the PPCRV?
The PPCRV must perform the following duties:
- Conduct poll watching in various precincts, including assistance to voters;
- Assist the Commission in voter’s information and values education in every municipality, province and city including highly urbanized cities.
The law says:
Section 2(5) of Article IX (C) of the 1987 Constitution states that:
“Section 2. The Commission on Elections shall exercise the following powers and functions:
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- Register, after sufficient publication, political parties, organizations, or coalitions which, in addition to other requirements, must present their platform or program of government; and accredit citizens’ arms of the Commission on Elections. Religious denominations and sects shall not be registered. Those which seek to achieve their goals through violence or unlawful means, or refuse to uphold and adhere to this Constitution, or which are supported by any foreign government shall likewise be refused registration. Financial contributions from foreign governments and their agencies to political parties, organizations, coalitions, or candidates related to elections, constitute interference in national affairs, and, when accepted, shall be an additional ground for the cancellation of their registration with the Commission, in addition to other penalties that may be prescribed by law.
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Further, Section 52 (k) of the Omnibus Election Code provides that:
“Sec. 52. Powers and functions of the Commission on Elections. – In addition to the powers and functions conferred upon it by the Constitution, the Commission shall have exclusive charge of the enforcement and administration of all laws relative to the conduct of elections for the purpose of ensuring free, orderly and honest elections, and shall:
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k. Enlist non-partisan group or organizations of citizens from the civic, youth, professional, educational, business or labor sectors known for their probity, impartiality and integrity with the membership and capability to undertake a coordinated operation and activity to assist it in the implementation of the provisions of this Code and the resolutions, orders and instructions of the Commission for the purpose of ensuring free, orderly and honest elections in any constituency.
Such groups or organizations shall function under the direct and immediate control and supervision of the Commission and shall perform the following specific functions and duties:
A. Before Election Day:
Undertake an information campaign on salient features of this Code and help in the dissemination of the orders, decisions and resolutions of the Commission relative to the forthcoming election.
Wage a registration drive in their respective areas so that all citizens of voting age, not otherwise disqualified by law may be registered.
Help cleanse the list of voters of illegal registrants, conduct house-to-house canvass if necessary, and take the appropriate legal steps towards this end.
Report to the Commission violations of the provisions of this Code on the conduct of the political campaign, election propaganda and electoral expenditures.
B. On Election Day:
Exhort all registered voters in their respective areas to go to their polling places and cast their votes.
Nominate one watcher for accreditation in each polling place and each place of canvass who shall have the same duties, functions and rights as the other watchers of political parties and candidates. Members or units of any citizen group or organization so designated by the Commission except its lone duly accredited watcher, shall not be allowed to enter any polling place except to vote, and shall, if they so desire, stay in an area at least fifty meters away from the polling place.
Report to the peace authorities and other appropriate agencies all instances of terrorism, intimidation of voters, and other similar attempts to frustrate the free and orderly casting of votes.
Perform such other functions as may be entrusted to such group or organization by the Commission.
The designation of any group or organization made in accordance herewith may be revoked by the Commission upon notice and hearing whenever by its actuations such group or organization has shown partiality to any political party or candidate, or has performed acts in excess or in contravention of the functions and duties herein provided and such others which may be granted by the Commission.
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