Newly appointed Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Commissioner Atty. Armando Velasco, who earned for himself the moniker ‘Peacemaker from the North’ for his exploits in forging peace among warring clans and political personalities in the Northern Philippines was welcomed by his fellow Commissioners and COMELEC rank and file employees in this morning’s flag raising ceremony held at the poll body’s main office in Manila.
Velasco, who served as Regional Election Director for the Cordillera Administrative Region prior to his appointment as Commissioner, was noted for his accomplishments in curbing election related violent incidents in that part of the country.
“It is our close coordination with our local armed forces, the police and various stakeholders that kept in check election related violent incidents in CAR during election time. Now that I am Commissioner, I plan to contribute our experiences learned from the field,” said Velasco, who also served as the COMELEC’s Counting Center Manager for the Province of Sulu during the August 11, 2008 automated elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The elections in Sulu during the last ARMM polls marked the first time where no incident of failure of elections took place.
Aside from ensuring peace during election time, Velasco also vows to help “strengthen the frontline services of the Commission.”
“If we want to improve the services of the COMELEC, we have
to start making improvements on the very people who are in the frontlines,” he said, adding that he wants to train field personnel to “make them more responsible and also to lessen the amount of work being forwarded to the main office for action.”
The Poll Commissioner also said he will focus on giving field offices nationwide that are dilapidated and with poor equipment a make-over. He also supports the modernization of the country’s elections which he said can help minimize if not eliminate fraud entirely. ###
Hon. Comm. Armando Velasco’s Curriculum Vitae >>>
