A youth-centered nonprofit harnesses digital platforms to encourage eligible young Filipino voters to register before the Sept. 30 deadline.
Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines’ #AmbagKo Rehistro. Boto. combines social media trends and pop culture with campaign activities.
#AmbagKo’s recently concluded TikTok challenge received dance video and short skit entries that educate and encourage the youth to register. Three groups bagged cash prizes. According to JCI, more contests and activities are lined up for the coming months.
On Facebook, the campaign runs a podcast every Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Upcoming podcast topics include choosing the right leader, voting as right and responsibility, and more.
Monthly live talks are also held on #AmbagKo’s Facebook page. These live talks, held once or twice a month, cover relevant topics such as registration and voting processes amid the quarantine. The program features youth representatives of universities and local and international organizations, as well as industry experts. An upcoming live talk will have Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez as guest.
“The Filipino youth are very dynamic, and engaging them these days calls for greater creativity. This is why we’re harnessing all the platforms available to us and those most used by our youth,” said Fulbert Woo, 2009 JCI Philippines national president and #AmbagKo project head.
#AmbagKo partners with Munimuni, a local indie band known for its makata-pop, for the campaign song “Ambag Ko”.
“More than 200 JCI chapters nationwide are one with JCI Philippines in spreading the word about #AmbagKo Rehistro. Boto. You can find the campaign everywhere—FB, Twitter, IG, and TikTok—which means we are where the Filipino youth are. We’re cooking up more contests and raffle, simple ways to engage with our audience better,” Woo added.
“We trust in the power of the youth and the Filipino, and that through the upcoming elections we can carve a better future for our country.”
More than 60 million Filipino voters have registered so far, according to Comelec, including 5.7 million new registrants. Unregistered Filipinos include those removed from the voters’ list for transferring from one jurisdiction to another, removed due to double registration, and deactivated for not voting for two consecutive elections.