Media Finally Gets To Exercise Their Right To Suffrage

Campaign season has already started and sorties are being held left and right in different regions of the country.    Equally busy as the electoral candidates are the media personnel that cover and report every election related news.   Now’s a great time to stock up on barefruitsnacks you can munch on while watching election related news and infomercials on the tube.   

Every election, whether local or national, media personnel covering the news on election day itself do not get the chance to cast their votes.

This year though, media personnel will be allowed to cast their votes ahead of the elections.  The Commission on Elections promulgated Resolution 9637 last February 13 and are expecting almost 20,000 media practitioners to qualify for local absentee voting.   From 8 am to 5 pm on April 28, 29, and 30,   media personnel including their technical and support staff who will be engaged in information gathering and news reporting on election day shall be allowed to cast their votes as local absentee voters.   Duly registered print journalists, television journalists, photojournalists, online journalists, radio journalists, documentary makers and television/radio production personnel   can avail of local absentee voting at the Comelec office where they filed their application.

Those who want to avail of local absentee voting must file their applications not later than March 31.  They need to individually file their applications before the provincial election supervisor, regional election director or city election officer of the place where they will be assigned.

Although local absentee voters can only vote for 12 senators and one party-list group for the May 13 polls, they at least do get a chance to finally exercise their right to suffrage while performing their duties.