POLL watchdog, Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), called on the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, to immediately appoint a chairman for its House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.
In a statement, Lente said it is imperative for the lower chamber to make such appointment to help steer the work of the committee.
"There is an urgent need to appoint a chairperson for the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms so that the committee can already start and move forward with these electoral reform proposals," said Lente.
It said that doing so will help hasten the deliberations and passage of electoral reform measures.
"Appointing a chairperson for the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms would steer the passage of laws championing the rights of all voters and begin the real work of electoral reform," Lente said.
Among the much needed legislation, it said, is the increase in accessibility of voting for vulnerable sectors, such as expanding early voting and local absentee voting.
The group said there is also a need to enhance the independence of the poll body and its field offices, by shifting the burden of providing office spaces from the local government units to the Commission on Elections.
Lente also noted the need to increase the manpower complement in its field offices.
It also said that it is imperative to adopt reforms that will ensure transparency in campaign and political finance.
"The last substantive electoral law passed to benefit a broad range of election stakeholders was enacted in 2016, with the passage of the Election Service Reform Act," it said. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)