Hello. jabjimenez went live on August 10, 2020. It is written and maintained as an after-hours project by James Jimenez – the current spokesperson of the Philippines Commission on Elections (COMELEC) – a designation he has held since 2007, making him one of the longest continuously serving spokespersons of any Philippine government agency. He articulates the positions taken by the COMELEC on various issues and enlightens the general public on the practices and policies adopted by the electoral management body. He performs this task both in person and online, where he maintains a substantial social media footprint for himself and the COMELEC.
He is also Director of the COMELEC for Education and Information, charged with voter information and education. When he first joined the Commission in 2000, he immediately took a significant role in defining, demystifying, and ultimately promoting the COMELEC’s Modernization Program. From this, he moved on to designing and spearheading the implementation of the voter acceptance program for the country’s transition to the use of an Automated Election System of national scope, in 2010. He has since done the same for the automated elections of 2013, 2016, and most recently, the 2019 National and Local Elections.
Outside of work, James is the Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Manila South. As a Rotarian, he has contributed and participated in several significant community service projects nationwide – including enhancing the quality of life of Aetas in Central Luzon, and bringing aid and relief to peoples affected by the earthquake in the south of the Philippines, the eruption of Taal Volcano, and relief to an economically displaced community in Bicol Province, victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is the founder of FeedReadLead, a charity initiative that provides nourishment to elementary school aged children who, because of poverty, face severe challenges to their reading and learning. He is currently collecting old English comic books – both the superhero and non-superhero variety – to donate to children who, because of the pandemic, have been unable to return to school.