Young people are aware of the stakes in the 2022 Presidential Elections. As such, they have decided to take matters into their own hands as they offer their time, effort, and energy into their different candidates and advocacies.
THE MAY 2022 Presidential Elections is deemed critical by many as the outcomes may possibly make or break the nation still held in thrall by corruption and a pandemic. Thus, people have begun to air their grievances and voice their support—or contempt—for different candidates online, as health protocols hamper people from campaigning in more traditional ways.
Despite these limitations, the youth’s enthusiasm to involve themselves in politics has not faltered as they steer political discussions on social media and engage with different personalities. In this spirit, youth voters are not only registering to vote but also manning different campaigns themselves.
Not too young
Jamesun Bejarin (4 AB POS – MPM) is the Coordinator for “Leni For You,” a nationwide group of Ateneans and alumni mobilizing support for Vice President Leni Robredo. He recounts how he bravely accepted this position after some faculty members reached out to him following his service in the wake mass of late President Noynoy Aquino. “Naantig ako (I was moved) because before college started, I had so much hope for [the] government,” he adds.
While he is more cognizant now of the realities of public service and the faults of previous administrations, he campaigns for Robredo because he believes in her advocacies and sees good governance through her.
Similarly, Louise Piedad (2 BS ME) also heeded the call to volunteerism as a member of the Externals Team of Leni For You in 2021. Her advocacy has always been in line with good governance and anti-corruption, which she believes are personified in her chosen candidates. Currently, she helps in strategizing for Leni campaigns, organizing lugawans with different barangay captains, and coordinating with other local officials.
The fight for good governance, though, is also waged in the local election scene. This is why Jacob Publico (4 AB IS) single-handedly heads the Research Intelligence, Communications, and Volunteer teams of the Bagong Las Piñas party. He gathers election-relevant information from different barangays in the city, manages their website, and calls upon youth volunteers to help with their campaign for a new Las Piñas.
Publico shares that the passing of their last mayor in August 2021 sparked aggression in politics upon discovering a chance to challenge the 20-year political dynasty. After working with different marginalized sectors, Publico was impelled to head numerous teams in his Congress candidate Louie Redoble’s campaign. “I get to do things on the executive level. We’re in the room of people making decisions for the party. I get to be part of the vision-making,” he shares.
On the other hand, Niña Torres, a Psychology student from Silliman University, shares a different perspective on how youth political volunteerism may look like. She is part of youth collective KAYA (Kabataan In Your Area) teams that seek to inquire about, educate, and involve people in addressing numerous social problems. KAYA teams, which are found all across the nation, seek to build the capacity of different people so that they may become leaders themselves.
All these stories, however, are not ones without obstacles. The job of politics is difficult with numerous demands and challenges.
I am but a small voice
Fortunately, the Philippines has entered an era where youth participation is generally tolerated if not welcomed. While Piedad cites evidence of isolated cases labeling the youth as “know-it-alls” in their struggle to inform people, Bejarin, on the other hand, defends that being a part of the youth is never a limitation. “We should listen to the youth more. They bring something unique to [the table], and using social media almost seems second nature to them,” he asserts.
Compared to the past election cycle, the youth engagement culture witnessed a mass shift online. Moreover, Torres shares that their struggle is not the setup but the threat of funded red-tagging as their team mobilizes in Mindanao. Even in Luzon, Bejarin cites that hostility from strangers during strikes and the infamous “bayaran” allegations across media platforms are no news.
Despite forces aimed at discrediting youth involvement, Publico remarks: “The youth can overcome many of its obstacles if they are immersed in the reality on the ground and are unified.” As a matter of fact, the struggle lies with the issue of sustaining on-the-ground participation, which can be remedied by involvement in discourse.
Because every effort counts
Everyday, the average reasonable Filipino is bombarded with campaign gimmicks of running candidates. In this season of vulnerability and openness to be “swayed,” Publico realizes how people often compromise principles for the sake of convenience. Amid uncertainties, he reminds himself never to let go of his ideas, especially when working in politics.
Every effort, no matter how miniscule, matters in electing people to power. Out of the whopping 67.5 million eligible Filipinos to vote for the 2022 elections, more than 30 percent of the statistics are attributed to the youth sector. “We cannot solve these problems in a short period and on our own individual efforts—it is a collective effort of the masses, of the entire society,” Torres points out.
In a country where many people are privileged enough to stay quiet, Piedad implores her peers to open their eyes and stand for a cause worth fighting for. Bejarin likewise echoes this call to action: “Engage [even if] our voices as individuals don’t seem to matter… that’s why we can’t lose hope. No matter the result, the fight doesn’t end here.”
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