NegOr Comelec chief to poll officers: Everyday should be PWD registration day

By Rachelle M. Nessia

DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept 8 (PIA) -- The provincial chief of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental directed election officers in the towns and cities here to make everyday a registration day for persons with disabilities (PWD). 

"I told them that everyday should always be treated as PWD registration day," said Provincial Comelec Supervisor Lawyer Eddie Aba during his speech at the September 6 Fully Abled Nation (FAN) day national roadshow held at Silliman University Hall, this city. 

Following his directive, some Comelec offices in local government units here that were located at the second floor of buildings were transferred to the ground floor to make their offices more accessible for the differently abled voters who want to register. 

Comelec earlier issued a set of guidelines for the registration of PWD voters and creation of accessible registration venues for PWDs. 

To date, Comelec here has registered 20,417 PWD regisrants province-wide. 

Aba was one of the speakers during the Dumaguete leg of the national roadshow that aims to increase the active participation of PWDs in the 2013 elections. 

Dumaguete City was included in the campaign's target areas after it was identified as one of the cities in the country where concentrations of PWDs are located. 

Other cities are Legazpi, Cotabato, Davao, La Union, Iloilo, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. 

Representatives from the roadshow's organizers participated in radio guestings and conducted a Disability Sensitivity Workshop for frontliners during the two-day campaign in the city. 

The FAN program is spearheaded by the The Asia Foundation with support from the Australian Agency for International Development and partnership with the Foundation for Communication Initiatives, Inc. (RMN/PIA 7-Negros Oriental)