Japan helps in raising voting awareness in BARMM

Nearly a month before the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections, the Japanese government on Saturday vowed to help raise awareness among voters in the region.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya emphasized that Japan has since been helping the region in raising awareness and promoting digitalization of the electoral process.

“As the region approaches its first election, we now invest in the voices of the people— their ability to shape the future,” Kazuya said in a press release.

“But, before the votes are cast, voters need to understand the system, and only then can they discern and express their will and know the paths they would like to take,” he added.

The Embassy of Japan in Manila took part in the launch of the “Partnership for Informed Voting in BARMM,'' which was part of ''The Project for Raising Voters’ Awareness and Promoting Digitalization of Electoral Process in Bangsamoro.'' 

This forms the third installment of Japan's JPY 234 million grant for “The Project for Raising Voters’ Awareness and Promoting Digitalization of Electoral Process in Bangsamoro,” which was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.

According to the embassy, the voters’ education program developed under the project includes a multilingual radio program, digital kiosk, and a voter education application. This aims to increase the participation of women, indigenous peoples, and vulnerable groups in the voting process.

“This project will aim to provide clear and timely information in a voter-friendly manner, through the various languages spoken in the region,” Kazuya said.

According to the Commission on Elections, the Bangsamoro region remains generally peaceful amid the 45-day campaign period for the October 13 polls. 

The poll body also said there was no incident of election-related violence monitored in the region so far.  — Anna Felicia Bajo/RF, GMA Integrated News