In a letter to the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms (CSER) dated December 11, 2025, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) proposed recommendations on legislative measures deliberated during the December 9, 2025 CSER hearing. In summary:
- Election holidays – Should cover all electoral exercises, not just national elections, to demonstrate consistent State commitment to facilitating suffrage;
- Electronic voting – Must be implemented with robust security measures, clear definitions, and comprehensive safeguards, because electronic voting holds great promise for overseas Filipinos;
- Voter verification mechanisms – Should be further detailed because they are essential to building public confidence in electronic voting systems;
- Universal access to electronic voting – Should be the default position, with limitations based only on objective technical considerations;
- Comprehensive cybersecurity and process requirements – Must be embedded in the law itself, not left entirely to implementing rules;
- Phased implementation and pilot testing – Should be implemented because they are prudent approaches for a system as complex and high-stakes as electronic voting.
For the full details of NAMFREL’s recommendations on these matters, READ the position paper in full here: https://bit.ly/4iNRrFs
