Letran DSA and Letran Policvs hold the TAYO NAMAN sa 2022: A Voter’s Education Forum

Charles Kirby Manuyag & Thea Alodia Tugade

WEDNESDAY, September 15, 2021 - The Department of Students Affairs and the Letran Policvs held a webinar entitled, “TAYO NAMAN sa 2022: Boto ng Kabataan para sa Bayan” via Zoom and Facebook Live from 3:30 PM to 5:50 PM attended by students, faculty and administrators from the Colegio.

Ms. Darylle and Mr. Jan Sabano, the masters of the ceremony, briefly introduced what the event will be about. It proceeded with Ms. Alessandra B. Laurio’s welcoming remarks, who is a 4th-year Political Science student. She mentioned that as 2022 is fast approaching, it is suitable for the youth to be knowledgeable about the Halalan. “Kung nasa tamang edad ka na, huwag kalimutan magparehistro at bumoto. Siempre Arriba, Siempre Letrán,” she concluded.

Following her welcoming remarks, Ms. Arianne De Guzman introduced the first guest speaker, Mr. Leo Lim, a graduate at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. The latter now works as a consultant at Social Action Foundation for Rural and Urban Development Inc. His lecture entitled, "Know Election Better'' intended to discuss the election system through time. According to him, the election is important for it can or will affect individuals' way of life. Hence, he encourages everyone to vote for the right and deserving candidate.

Furthermore, he had shown the requirements, guidelines, and alternatives for registering and an example form. Then, he gave brief information about "The Youth Vote," wherein he explained a statistical report that more than 18.8 young people (18-29 years old) have registered to vote in the 2019 elections, accounting for around 30% of the total number of voters.

To end his discussion, he stated that, “Bilang kabataan, huwag sayangin ang responsibilidad na bumoto.”

Mr. Jan Sabano then introduced a timely infomercial about voter's education created by BayaniBoto 2022. The infomercial presented the minimum wage earners, how government decisions affect the country's relation to the international government, the legislative, executive, and the judicial branches' responsibilities.

Afterwards, Ms. Arianne De Guzman introduced the second guest speaker, Engr. James Wong, credited to be a person who led and participated in movements about voting.

To formally start his discussion, as Engr. James Wong greeted the participants in the Zoom conference and Facebook live streaming,the second speaker began his discussion on the "Youth Vote," which highlighted the importance of the youth to participate in voting to change society.

Engr. James Wong showed photos of the present situations where Filipinos are experiencing difficulties due to the problems arising, such as the pandemic, pollution, the closing of the economy due to the protocols implemented as a safety response to the pandemic that mainly affected the income living of the Filipino people.

As stated by Engr. James Wong, the Philippines experiences never-ending problems; the solution to those begins by taking action. He then quoted inspirational messages from Pope Francis, Dr. Jose Rizal, and the story of Saint Dominic, who converted the innkeeper through discussion. He highlighted that discussion is essential to influence others, especially the youth.

He indicated that the youth has the vote priority and ended with a prayer to formally end his discussion.

The emcees then proceeded to the open forum and entertained questions through Facebook comments and the "Chat" function of the Zoom Meeting. Additional information such as not allowing Barangay's ID and PNP clearance for registration and secured systems of the machines in collaboration with associated partners were clarified by Mr. Leo Lim.

He was affirming his answers to the questions, Engr. James Wong also clarified that the associated partners, stated by Mr. Leo Lim, moderate the source code.

A relevant issue, which is the "vote-buying" was also asked; answered by Mr. Leo Lim, sanctions are applied to those who buy and sell votes. The same automated system used for the previous years' elections would still be used but with a new delegated committee under the new normal set-up.

Afterwards, the emcees gave the certificates of recognition to the speakers presented by Mr. Joaquin De Leon. They also thanked the guest speakers and the attendees who participated actively throughout the event.

They ended the event properly by introducing the President of the Letran Policvs, Mr. Carrion, to give his closing remarks. Mr. Carrion shared an inspirational message and thanked everyone who collaborated with the webinar. Lastly, everyone was asked to open their cameras for a photo opportunity. Ergo, the webinar came to an end.

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