High-five for E-CHAMP: DACS reactivates election support group

Before 2013, there was only a burger called Champ. Afterwards, another term of similar sound was born.

Almost 3,000 NSTP students from the Catholic schools under the Davao Association of Colleges and Schools (DACS) in Region XI witnessed the launching of the E-CHAMP at the Martin Hall of the Ateneo de Davao University campus, last November 14.

Hand raised, Project Leader Fr. Archimedes Lachica, SJ said, “We are saying YES to E-CHAMP. These are the five fingers that represent the five letters of CHAMP: Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful, Peaceful, elections in 2016.”

He added, “In 2013, there was only PPCRV and NAMFREL and for the longest time, elections monitoring here was done by them headed by the Archdiocese of Davao. Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, encouraged us through the Catholic schools that we will take responsibility of this project. It’s no longer just parishes, but with the involvement of schools and leadership. He said this will be much better, and so it was started with that mandate. DACS took it up, reflected on it and decided to come up with a new entity, bringing together both PPCRV and NAMFREL under one umbrella, we call that E-Champ.”

Fr. Lachica also shared that there was a time when “the relationship is adversarial, but now we want to make sure to make their job better through our collaboration. We are not really involved in the traditional activities…because the election today is fast, hopefully more efficient this time and result is easily broadcast in the media. Our role is to make sure that voters will really vote without coercion,” he ended.

As election draws near, more students and parishioners are expected to sign up as volunteers of E-CHAMP. They will help the Commission on Elections and teachers deployed in public schools (as Board of Election Inspectors). The head quarter of this project is temporarily housed in ADDU Jacinto.

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As the Official media partners, DC Herald and DXGN will update you more about E-CHAMP. We publish in parts the “Forum on Eleksyong Pinoy” which took place last November 14, 2015 (Launching of E-CHAMP). He participated by the representatives of the COMELEC, PNP, DepEd, NYC, SPC, MYLP.

(PHOTOS: ADDU UCEAC / Mirhea Nica Quijada)