DAVAO CITY — With the upcoming 2007 elections, the region’s youth and students are asking the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to extend the voters’ registration in order to give more young Filipinos to vote and “safeguard their democratic rights.”
Because this innovative approach of new politics has apparently gained popularity, it is loathed by the likes of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez precisely because it can disenfranchise the powers that be by raising the political consciousness of the people. Bereft of visions and programs that address the people’s democratic interests, they trivialize the elections through manipulation, disinformation and the spreading of more myths.