THE COMMISSION on Elections and Democracy Watch Philippines inked a partnership to encourage youth to vote in the coming May 9 polls.

Acting Comelec Chairman Socorro Inting and DemWatch main convenor Francisco Javier Pangalangan signed the agreement at the commission’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Friday.

The two parties recognized the youth’s ability to make or break the country’s next president as it accounts for 51 percent of the 66 million Filipino registered voters.

Vote Right 2022!, a voter education campaign, is part of the agreement.

Both parties will hold a series of virtual seminars and talks to be held in collaboration with various schools and non-government groups across the country.

“We recognize that educating and empowering the youth sector on the right of suffrage is a collective duty that falls upon not just on the commission but the entire Filipino community, it really does take a village,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

“Thus, we fully support initiatives that focus on young and first-time voters, because the numbers clearly show that they comprise a huge chunk of registered voters in the May 9elections,” he added.