Celebrities and social media personalities join a youth-led, nationwide coalition campaign encouraging young Filipinos eligible to vote in 2022 to register.
During the recent online event spearheaded by Youth Leadership for Democracy (YouthLed PH), Mark “Macoy Dubs” Averilla (who hosted the event), Kean Cipriano, Laureen Uy, Miggy Cruz, and Ria Atayde lend their voice to help further expand the reach of Kabilang Ka Sa 2022, an inclusive coalition launched by the representatives of 700 youth organizations for the upcoming national and local elections.
The #KabilangKaSa2022 online talk centered on discussions on why youth participation is important in the upcoming elections, how the youth can respond to apprehensions about being apolitical, and how to combat fear of the pandemic and doubts on the integrity of the elections.
“Elections belong to the people. The more that you know about your candidate, the more you can inspire other people to vote,” stated Uy.
Uy and the rest of the panel agreed on the importance of researching about the candidates. “An informed vote is a responsible vote,” asserted Atayde, emphasizing the importance of voting for candidates whose vision for the country is aligned with the youth.
Atayde also considers track record and attendance. “Part of their duty is to show up. Hindi pwedeng staff lang nila ang may alam (It is not enough that only their staff knows what’s going on).”
For his part, Cipriano stressed the need for a firm resolve. “Kailangan mo panindigan ang pinaniniwalaan mo. Hindi yung sinabi ng barkada or tita mo. Kailangan firm ka sa sarili mo kung ano ang gusto mong future para sa country mo (You must stand for what you believe. Don’t base your vote on what your friend or your aunt said, be firm in your resolve to get the kind of future you want for your country).”
He also advised to look for leaders who are reliable during crucial times, citing the country’s pandemic experience as an example.
Kabilang Ka Sa 2022 aims to register at least 1 million first-time voters. According to YouthLed, young voters only accounted for almost 38 percent of the voter turnout in the 2019 elections.
“Hinihikayat natin ang mga kabataan na sabayan ang mga nakatatandang ‘suki’ ng eleksyon na bumoto sa 2022 elections (We are encouraging the youth to join the older voters to vote in the 2022 elections),” said Mildred Ople, YouthLed PH program officer and Kabilang Ka Sa 2020 spokesperson.
She further encouraged young Filipinos to be “superspreaders” of correct information on voter registration, voter education, and transparency in governance.