Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes Concerning Grant Aid “The Project for Raising Voters’ Awareness and Promoting Digitalization of Electoral Process in Bangsamoro” to the Republic of the Philippines
On August 1, in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr. ENDO Kazuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, and Mr. Selvakumaran RAMACHANDRAN, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines, signed and exchanged notes concerning the grant aid project for Raising Voters’ Awareness and Promoting Digitalization of Electoral Process in Bangsamoro (grant provision of up to 234 million yen).
- The Philippines has adopted a voter registration system for elections. However, in the Bangsamoro Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region (BARMM), there are still a certain number of residents who have not registered as voters.
- In Mindanao, the first ever Bangsamoro Congressional elections are scheduled to be held in May 2025, in preparation for the official establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Government at the end of June 2025. Therefore, in order to hold inclusive elections in Mindanao, it is necessary to promote electoral participation among those who are not registered voters.
- This project aims to strengthen the analytical and management capacity of the Philippine Commission on Elections in relation to election information and create an enabling environment for the Commission to conduct voter education activities in BARMM, to ensure the inclusiveness of the Bangsamoro Congressional Elections and the fair participation of the diverse local populations of BARMM in the elections, and thereby, this will contribute to the promotion of peace and stability as well as development and progress in Mindanao.
The Republic of the Philippines has an area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (approximately 80% of the Japan’s area), a population of about 117.34 million people (2023, World Bank), and a gross national income (GNI) per capita is 4,230 USD (2023, World Bank).