Own Essay

Many people may think that the Church doesn't actively contribute anything for the development of our
nation. However, there are many organizations of the Church that work hard for the progress of society.
One such organization is the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). Founded in 1991 by
Cardinal Jaime Sin, the council works tirelessly to ensure free, fair and fraud-free elections in the
Philippines.
The PPCRV acts as the "citizen's arm" to COMELEC, performing activities such as advocating for electoral
reforms, conducting audits on automatic elections, poll watching, providing legal assistance related to
the elections, reporting electoral violations, providing voters' assistance services, and voters' education.
Truly, the PPCRV is a great example of the Church working towards social progress, helping to ensure a
fair election of the leaders of our country.
(Translated)
MAAARING ISIPIN NG MARAMING TAO NA ANG SIMBAHAN AY HINDI AKTIBONG NAG-AAMBAG NG
ANUMANG BAGAY PARA SA PAG-UNLAD NG ATING BANSA. GAYUNPAMAN, MARAMING MGA
ORGANISASYON NG SIMBAHAN ANG NAGTATRABAHO NANG HUSTO PARA SA PAG-UNLAD NG LIPUNAN.
ISA SA MGA ORGANISASYONG ITO ANG PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL FOR RESPONSIBLE VOTING (PPCRV).
ITINATAG NOONG 1991 NI CARDINAL JAIME SIN, ANG KONSEHO AY TULUY-TULOY NA NAGTATRABAHO
UPANG MATIYAK ANG MGA ELEKSIYON SA LIBRE AT PATAS AT PANDARAYA SA PILIPINAS.
ANG PPCRV AY NAGSISILBING "BRASO NG MAMAMAYAN" SA COMELEC, NAGSASAGAWA NG MGA
AKTIBIDAD TULAD NG PAGTATAGUYOD PARA SA MGA REPORMANG ELEKTORAL, PAGSASAGAWA NG
MGA AWDIT SA MGA AWTOMATIKONG HALALAN, PAGMAMASID SA POLL, PAGBIBIGAY NG LEGAL NA
TULONG NA MAY KAUGNAYAN SA ELEKSYON, PAG-UULAT NG MGA PAGLABAG SA ELEKTORAL,
PAGBIBIGAY NG MGA SERBISYO NG TULONG NG MGA BOTANTE, AT MGA BOTANTE 'EDUKASYON.
TUNAY NA ANG PPCRV AY ISANG MAHUSAY NA HALIMBAWA NG IGLESIA NA NAGTATRABAHO
PATUNGO SA PAG-UNLAD NG LIPUNAN, PAGTULONG UPANG MATIYAK ANG ISANG MAKATARUNGANG
HALALAN NG MGA PINUNO NG ATING BANSA.

Parish Pastoral Council for

Responsible Voting
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
(PPCRV) is a non-partisan, non-sectarian non-profit
organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic
Church in the Philippines that works to ensure free,
fair and fraud-free elections in the Philippines. The
organization has been the "citizens arm" of the
Commission of Elections since 2010. PPCRV
conducts the Unofficial Parallel Count of returns
after the election.

PPCRV's activity includes advocating for electoral reforms, conducting parallel manual auditing
in automated elections, coordinating parishes to conduct poll-watching, providing legal
assistance related to elections, reporting of electoral violations, providing voters' assistance
services, and voters' education.

History
The Roman Catholic Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, held in February 1991, called for
reforms in the conduct of elections in the Philippines. In May 1991, Jaime Cardinal Sin, D.D.,
Archbishop of Manila, Commission on Elections (Philippines) Commissioner Haydee Yorac, then-
Laity President Henrietta T. de Villa, Most Rev. Gabriel Reyes, D.D., Rev. Msgr. Bayani
Valenzuela, and thirty parish lay leaders conceived of the idea of the PPCRV in Mandaluyong
City. In October 1991, the PPCRV was launched at St. Paul University, Quezon City, with around
one thousand laypeople from the parishes of the Archdiocese of Manila. The next month, with
the support of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, the PPCRV expanded its
operations nationwide.

PPCRV's poll-watching activities began with the 1992 presidential elections. Then, 346,688
PPCRV volunteers participated in poll-watching, voters’ assistance, assisting the Board of
Election Inspectors, protecting election returns, monitoring electoral exercise, and watching the
canvassing of votes.

Relation with COMELEC

In April 2013, PPCRV was accused by the Archbishop of Lipa Ramon Arguelles of being a
COMELEC lapdog since the conduct of the 2010 general elections, an allegation that the
chairperson of PPCRV, Henrietta T. de Villa, disputes. The organization has been a "citizens arm"
of the Commission of Elections since 2010.

In 2010, it had objected to the National Movement for Free Elections' (NAMFREL) application as
a citizen's arm of COMELEC, stating that a dual system would interfere with election watch.
NAMFREL had never objected to PPCRV's applications as a citizen arm in previous elections. The
feud seems to be over as both parties were accredited by COMELEC for the 2013 midterm
elections and agreed on their respective functions.