Community press exhorted to be active in May polls - PAPI
BY BOY RYAN ZABAL

ROLE OF THE PRESS. PAPI president Juan P. Dayang (right) with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (center) during a luncheon meeting at Malacañang on March 14 (BRZabal)

KALIBO, Aklan – Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI) President Juan “Johnny” Dayang exhorted the community press to take the lead role in educating the electorate vis-à-vis the May 14 elections.
“Let us give our electorate a clear picture of the political situation in the countryside. Let us provide them with the ackground of the candidates so they could vote intelligently and chose the best and the brightest,” Dayang stressed.
A native of Aklan, the PAPI leader said, “the election is prone to massive fraud and terrorism and the people might completely loose faith and confidence in our democratic process and system of government if the community press fail to enlighten them.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) earlier stressed, “the elections is a greater challenge for all citizens to continue monitoring winning candidates to ensure transparency, accountability and people empowerment for good governance and work for reconciliation, and the solidarity that is essential to nation-building.”
“This might be our last chance to prove that democracy is best suited as a system of government in our country. Let us therefore rally for a clean and orderly election,” Dayang said.

Dayang, who visited his home province after the induction of PAPI national officers and regional chairmen last week, said guest speaker and Chief Justice Reynato Puno also underscored the role of the community press in the coming mid term polls.
“Every journalist in the countryside plays an immense responsibility to positively develop a well-informed electorate by educating them of the qualifications and platforms of government of those seeking elective posts,” Dayang added.