While the “Persons for and with Others” mantra has been deeply embedded in the Ateneo, its application is felt at a national scale this election season. 

DIVISIVE MAY be the best word to describe the current state of the elections. The overwhelming attempts to influence people’s vote left and right have normalized  disinformation and derision in the campaign rollout. 

With Halalan 2022 on the horizon, politically active Filipinos continue to rise in number as many remain discontented with just shading the ballot. After a troublesome regime riddled with deaths and disease, this tight electoral race has pushed many—especially Ateneans—to put in twice the effort to fight for their future.

Making their mark

First-time voters are known for the fire they bring when venturing into new democratic territories. Take for example Maria Maranan (2 AB HI), whose volunteer work for Kabataan Para Kay Ka Leody (KPKL) involved contacting interested volunteers to campaigning his platforms from house-to-house.

“I was actually very surprised that people are actually very open to learning about our platforms,” Maranan says. In particular, they resonate with Ka Leody’s efforts to increase the minimum wage, junk contractualization, and tax the rich for COVID reparations. Maranan has been adept to all these platforms as she was a part of the bloc that pushed Ka Leody to run for the presidential seat.

While Maranan is involved on the ground, June Vasquez started his political journey as a fact-checking personality. Alongside his role as an Ateneo Campus Minister, Vasquez shares his political voice in TikTok under the alias Uncle Jabog in his campaign for Leni Robredo. He cites that her clean record, Angat Buhay program, and relief efforts encouraged him to vote for her.

Vasquez admits that he was not enthusiastic to vote, but he decided to be more active to combat the growing disinformation online. As a fact-checker under TikTokers for Leni, he debunks several false claims. One of his notable videos disproves a presidentiable’s educational attainment. As of writing, it has roughly 100,000 views. 

The 2022 polls may have sparked participation from these two, but the fire of activism has long been ingrained among Ateneans who grew up learning the school’s mottos.

Motivated by the mantra

Maranman and Vasquez are just two of several members who actively embody the Atenean mantra of being “persons for and with others” in time for the 2022 polls.

Coined by then Society of Jesus Superior General Pedro Arrupe, SJ in 1973, the mantra refers to someone who acts not with self-interest but with love in a world that is morally corrupt. Arrupe, racked by the fear that Jesuit graduates were unable to promote justice and liberation of the oppressed, called for an education grounded on social change, teaching students to be “men for others.”

Modified over time as “men and women for others” and “persons for others” to be more inclusive, the mantra is now termed as “persons for and with others.”

As the country remains steeped in political tumult, Ateneans are now urged to heed the call in an effort to reclaim the country’s democracy.

For Vasquez, an Ateneo de Naga alumnus, the mantra inculcates a genuine sense of care for his community, thus compelling him to cast his vote in the upcoming elections and wage the fight against election disinformation.

“We’re not called ‘persons for others’ for nothing. Since it’s a national election, I think it’s a good time to apply that,” Vasquez says.

Similarly, Maranan lives up to the mantra in her bid to challenge society’s capitalist system embedded with greed and exploitation.“In an ideal society for me, everybody would work together to take care of each other…not [to] profit but to ensure that everybody has food, clothes, a home, and a community,” she says.

While this mantra is only spoken within the Ateneo’s confines, its spirit comes alive even beyond the University’s walls.

Piecing out the politics

With the rise of people’s voluntary involvement—dubbed as a people’s campaign—this Halalan 2022, Ateneans and even non-Ateneans alike are exemplifying what it means to be “persons for and with others.”

Like Maranan and Vasquez, other campaign volunteers consider their participation and engagement as their core commitments. For instance, they shell out their own money to produce campaign materials, fund outreaches, and provide food for people attending their candidates’ rallies.

Political Science Professor Carmel Abao, PhD, explains that people’s spirit of participation in solving social problems comes when the current government solutions are not based on people’s demands.

“[Being persons for and with others is] being in solidarity with those in need of solidarity by contributing your skills and competencies in solving problems and not just for earning money,” Abao says.

Recognizing that the pivotal elections on May 9 could be an antidote to these social ills, Filipinos are now compelled to engage in political affairs.

As an Atenean academic, Abao herself also pens articles that advance political discourse so Filipinos might make informed decisions for the 2022 elections. In particular, Abao sees the people’s campaign as one of the key emerging trends during the elections.

For her, the strong presence of social media has fired up the people’s campaign. Since there are no institutionalized channels for political participation, online platforms can be a tool for voters to share moving political content and mobilize themselves. As a result, these further amplify their desire to be more politically active.

Abao says that Filipinos’ spontaneous and organic participation in people’s campaigns highlights their genuine feelings of enthusiasm and energy to engage in politics, although it may not be representative of the number of actual voters.

The people’s campaign contrasts with the traditional methods of campaigning, which focus on contacting local officials to ask for their endorsement. According to Abao, other presidentiables like Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still subscribe to traditional campaigning because it has delivered wins before and can still work until today.

Despite the effectiveness of conventional electioneering, Abao believes the people’s campaign challenges the traditional campaign trail and ignites a strong message that there is no single route to winning elections. She asserts:  “[The people’s campaign] could really make a difference in the polls.”

Flying further

As the 2022 presidential polls draw nearer, Maranan and Vasquez continue to fly farther than Loyola grounds to radiate the energy of the people’s campaign to others even more.

When talking about their dreams for this country, Vasquez says, “I dream for a country whose leaders inspire their people.”

Though she acknowledges her candidate is the underdog, Maranan hopes de Guzman bags the victory nonetheless. “It’s a pipe dream,” she acknowledges, but she also understands that simply having a voice and using it to benefit fellow Filipinos is a win in and of itself.

Retrospectively, one might wonder why the stamp of Ateneo is placed on the “Persons for and with others” mantra when it is no more an Ignatian value than a human one. Abao goes as far to suggest that it is a moral value. “It’s the same for everyone,” she says. 

Having already rekindled Filipinos’ spirit of volunteerism this Halalan 2022, the only challenge left now is how they would keep the flame alive and all the more brighter even after the polls.

While the mantra is unrestricted by the confines of the Ateneo, it is also not limited by time and place. Filipinos prepare to cross the finish line on May 9 with deep recognition that the choice they are about to make will affect not just themselves but others too.