LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
ACTION AGENDA
Declaration of the 2002 National Electoral
Reform Summit
Taking note of the serious problems and shortcomings of our political
and electoral system;
Recognizing the urgent need for reforms, notwithstanding the past
and current initiatives of state reformists and civil society, in
the Philippine electoral process;
Adhering to the basic tenets of a broad grassroots-based democracy
and rejecting elite monopoly in our political system;
Stressing the constitutional mandate to democratize access to political
power;
Heeding the voice of our people for democratic participation in
our electoral process and in governance;
Taking off from the impetus for governance reforms underscored
by EDSA I and EDSA II;
Taking advantage of the favorable environment for democratic governance
in Asia and in the whole world;
We, stakeholders in the Philippine electoral process coming from
both government and civil society organizations and meeting in the
2002 National Electoral Reform Summit, urgently set forth the following
common agenda for legislative and cooperative action:
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
1. Enabling law on absentee voting
This is to enfranchise the several million overseas
Filipinos to vote in the national elections, starting in 2004.
2. Laws to strengthen the Philippine political party system
This is to enable political parties to maintain
their electoral and political work, discourage sourcing of campaign
financing from dubious or illegal entities, and protect the political
system from undue influence. The laws should cover the banning of
political turncoatism, state financing of qualified political parties,
stricter punishment of illegal campaign contributions and campaign
expenses, and restrictions on individual campaign contributions.
Strengthening the political party system to include campaign financing,
civil literacy and a political party law will enable the development
of mature politics based on political platforms and programs.
3. Amendments to RA 7941, the Party-List Law.
This is to incorporate lessons learned from its
implementation in the last two party-list elections and plug loopholes
in the law in order to sustain its effectiveness in opening up political
participation of marginalized and underrepresented sectors and in
implementing proportional representation.
4. Law on structural reforms in electoral management.
This is to enable the Commission on Elections to
perform effectively its responsibilities in a modern democracy and
strengthen its nonpartisan role in the management of Philippine
elections.
5. Implementing law on local sectoral representation.
This is to start the implementation of the sectoral
representation in local legislature to ensure representation of
the marginalized and underrepresented sectors.
6. Enabling law on constitutional ban against political dynasties.
This is to open up elective public positions to
more citizens and limit the possibilities of monopoly of political
power by a limited number of families, thereby enhancing democracy.
7. Law on continuing citizen and voter education.
This is to broaden and make effective the mature
participation of citizen-voters in the electoral process.
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ACTION AGENDA
1. Implementation of electoral modernization
This is particularly in relation to voter registration, vote
counting and canvassing, and in implementing the absentee voting
system.
a. The modernization of voter registration should be implemented
in accordance with RA 8189.
b. The Comelec should prioritize and immediately implement
the modernization plan for counting and canvassing in accordance
with RA 8436 in time for 2004 election.
c. The Comelec should upgrade its organizational capability
for effective implementation of the modernization plan.
d. The legislative oversight committees mandated by RA 8189
and RA 8436 should be activated.
e. Comelec and civil society organizations should cooperate
on an extensive public advocacy, education and information campaign
to promote electoral modernization.
2. Launching of intensive civic literacy and voter
education
This is to prepare the citizen-voters for their participation
in the electoral process, especially in the crucial 2004 general
election.
a. Continuing citizen and voter education through the cooperation
of concerned civil society groups and government institutions,
especially the Department of Education and the Commission on
Election.
b. The further popularization of political and electoral concepts
such as the party law and public funding.
3. Building broad consensus regarding constitutional reform
A serious review of the Philippine Constitution is long overdue
towards identifying and addressing possible infirmities therein
under the objective of further strengthening and deepening Philippine
democracy.
To this end, it is imperative to ensure a participatory and consultative
process that will involve all stakeholders in order to build broad
consensus on both the substance and process of any constitutional
reform.
Because of the public desire to participate in the process as
well as the political impact on Philippine society, it has become
necessary that any initiative for Constitutional Reform must be
transparent and above suspicion.
Thus we reject any move by Congress to introduce the substantive
amendments to the Constitution itself. Furthermore, any initiative
must not prejudice the holding of the national and local elections
in 2004.
4. Establishment of a multi-sectoral citizen alliance on electoral
reforms.
This is to maximize citizen participation in the
electoral process, aside from voting.
5. Pursuing the electoral reform summit resolutions and sustaining
the summit initiatives.
This is to maintain the momentum started by the 2002 National
Electoral Reform Summit and pursue the implementation of this
declaration and other summit resolutions.
a. The holding of an annual electoral reform summit to monitor
and update the resolutions and initiatives;
b. The establishment of a summit website as a forum for exchange
of ideas/information and cooperation of the convenors and the
participants;
c. The publication of a common journal as another venue for
ideas and cooperation.
d. The maintenance of the summit convenors and its executive
committee to oversee the activities related to implementation
of the summit resolutions.
