As we slowly approach the day of the 2022 National Elections, the urgency of having proper voters’ education becomes clearer. As amended by Article V of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, suffrage must be exercised by all citizens of the country who are at least eighteen years old and have resided in the country for at least a year. Out of the 112 million population of the Philippines, approximately 67.5 million are eligible to vote on May 9. In the faith-based awareness program for young voters conducted by the Student Catholic Action, in partnership with De La Salle – Model United Nations Community (DLSMUNCom), it was emphasized that students need to go beyond their role as learners, having the duty to apply their education to become sound decision-making voters. The elected leaders will be developing and enacting policies that will benefit the nation. This further emphasizes that we must intelligently cast our votes to ensure the achievement of good governance through the election of competent and morally upright leaders that emanate Christ-like values.
On April 29, DLSMUNCom presented “Neo: Normalizing the Transitions to Active Political Involvement among Social Institutions,” a politically-oriented webinar that highlighted the paradigm shifts of business, household, and military from being politically neutral to becoming politically active institutions in the 21st century. The speaker of the business, Mr. Antonio Cancio of Cafe Breton, highlighted that “so many businesses have made a stand because they feel the same way—that if they don’t, the country could go into ruin again and it would take decades to bring yourself out.” Mr. John Genove, the speaker of the household, on the other hand emphasized that “if we don’t allow ourselves to be politically active and allow this conversation to go within the family, who will?” This event showed that even those presumed to be silent about their stand and support for certain candidacies can use their duties and powers to maximize their influence and capabilities to uplift the common good through informed participation in politics despite the possible risks of engaging in the political sphere.
In the final stretch of campaigns before the election day, DLSMUNCom initiated an ongoing publicity campaign entitled “Landas: Leading Towards a Sustainably Developed Governance” as a distinctive effort to campaign for a promising positive change at the forefront of the next administration. Embodying the ideals of the United Nations and as responsible citizens of the Philippines, the young diplomats of DLSMUNCom have prepared a feature on the platforms and advocacies of the top 5 presidential candidates and top 5 vice-presidential candidates, along with the corresponding their initiatives with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additional materials contain the OCTA poll results that has been used as a basis for the SDG analysis and a call to action statement produced by the Executive Board in hopes of empowering the Lasallian and Filipino youth to be the educated voters that the country needs. In line with this, we are asking for everyone’s support and participation in hopes that the organization’s efforts will aid not only the Lasallian community but also the entire Filipino nation to be sound voters. Every vote counts, so make sure that your vote counts toward genuine servanthood and development of our nation and its bright future for democracy and stability.
