To help the student voters decide wisely for the fast-approaching 2022 elections, the Adamson University Student Government (AUSG) partnered with other organizations and presented a webinar called "#AdUVoteItThisWay: Gabay ng Adamsonian sa Pagboto" via Zoom and Facebook Live on March 26.
In collaboration with Bayan Mo, Ipatrol Mo, LENTE, The Adamson Chronicle, and Adamson University - Office for Student Affairs, the event featured four esteemed principal speakers to give knowledge to attendees on how to become effective electorates amid the fast rise of false news.
Brother Arvin Zarsata, the president of Saint Vincent School of Theology Student Council, discussed how the Vincentian community could use Catholic teachings and the Vincentian values as a foundation when discerning a candidate.
“All of these can be used to help us choose a political candidate. By using these criteria, we can avoid falling to our own prejudices and personal judgments, which are influenced by a variety of circumstances,” he said.
He also encouraged people to be critical users of social media platforms and utilize them by being digital warriors who spread truth in response to lies.
On the same topic of digital usage, Rowena Parraan, the head of Bayan Mo, Ipatrol Mo, mentioned other ways to utilize social media platforms while being of service to the country, mainly during election campaigns, through citizen journalism.
“Marami po kayong pwedeng i-ambag sa darating na eleksyon. As I said, it’s very important na makialam tayo sa darating na eleksyon,” she added.
Parraan referred that most entries they receive from citizen journalists in Bayan Mo, Ipatrol Mo, the citizen journalism arm of ABS-CBN Network, are the anomalies of politicians, such as vote-buying and unsolicited plugging.
Furthermore, Jan Pauline Dela Paz, the media committee head and national secretariat of LENTE, talked more about different electoral issues and what existing laws can and cannot yet do about them.
Apart from the happenings within communities and social media platforms, people also rely on media; Jervis Manahan, a news reporter from ABS-CBN Network, explained the democratic role of media that highly influences the results of an election.
“Hindi ito one-way communication lang, hindi yung mga kandidato lamang ang nagsasalita at nakikinig yung taumbayan. Dapat sa reportage natin sa media ay nabibigyan boses natin ang taumbayan,” he said.
The AUSG also prepared a segment named "Pulso ng Adamsonian," where attendees from the university voiced some of their thoughts on the topics tackled.
John Joshua Mayuga, the president of Adamson University College of Law Student Government, mentioned that upholding Catholic teachings and awareness would not suffice to achieve change in society without taking firsthand actions.
“If we will only stop as Adamsonians, as Vincentians, in campaigning and in participating in social media, it runs the risk that we are only within our own echo chambers, so we have to go out and to be agents of social change on the ground itself,” he stated.
Additionally, AUSG President Jason Marfori reiterated that the current generation should navigate digital platforms critically in the prevalence of misinformation.
“It’s no longer enough to just dismiss yung mga nakikita nating information. We need to fight for disinformation, we need to pound, we need to raise and make our voices heard, so it’s no longer enough to swipe away the woos and problems of our nation,” Marfori said.
Moreover, students from the Communication Department had their own moments for the said segment as they shared their experiences and newfound realizations from the webinar.
Jehu Adolfo of AMC 101 shared that the event had him intrigued and eager to learn more about various aspects that have correlations with elections.
“Optimism and excitement are the things that were in my mind as we transition from one speaker to another,” he shared.
He also mentioned how the webinar became of help to voters like him in the coming elections.
“This webinar guided its participants in not only informing them about their rights and responsibilities but also about the moral and legal aspect that comes into voting,” Adolfo said.
Aside from that, he was able to find the relevance of the event to the course he is taking
.
“As a communication student, this webinar served as a way to understand the power and impact we can make through media and technology in informing people about the truth and removing biases and prejudices as we do so,” he stated.
As for Melanie Munsayac of AMC 101, she concluded that the event was an actual time for enlightenment.
“The fact that I am a communication student causes me to get chills just by listening to what the presenter has to say. It's one of those succinct yet comprehensive webinars that truly draws my attention,” she said.
Throughout the webinar, she learned that the real purpose of a single vote is to create significant benefits for the entire country, not to achieve one's lone agenda.
“There is no such thing as too much democracy, particularly when it is for the greater good of our country,” she added.
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