By Ella Magno

Rappler wrapped up their #PHVote Dialogues webinar series in the last episode entitled, “Your Checklist for the 2022 Elections,” with guest speakers Janina Vela—vlogger and content creator, John Nery—Rappler’s columnist and editorial consultant, and John Carlo Borja—chief youth mobilizer and member of the Positive Youth Development Network, Inc. via Zoom on Wednesday night, October 27, 2021.

The webinar tackled the guest speakers’ perception of the voter registration process, how they sort out information online, what their ideal leaders are, and how they handle their personal relationships while upholding their political beliefs.

Janina Vela compared the registration process to the Hunger Games, pointing out that the reason why so many Filipinos are still unable to register as voters may be due to unnecessary processes and a faulty overall system.

Nery and Borja agreed with her,  stating that the procedure could have been better and less time-consuming.

The speakers emphasized that, while it is heartwarming to see people eager to vote, the procedure should not be this difficult, and they urged higher-ups to employ technology to make registration easier. They stated that this should be the last time individuals line up for long hours only to register. 

When asked how they sort through the different information they see online, especially political posts, Nery said we should all be better judges of character, highlighting that certain times in our country require certain types of leaders.

“A good leader allows us to do what’s possible. A great leader allows us to imagine new possibilities. We need to find a new set of leaders who will allow us to imagine a whole new world,” Nery said.

Vela agreed with Nery’s statement and talked about how our nation is still currently led by personality politics. 

“We need to learn to judge first. As a nation, we’re still being led by personality politics and false promises. We must break these people apart in our minds even if they are already on the list of our preferences because good decisions cannot be made in haste,” she added.

Furthermore, Borja stated that he does not depend just on what he sees in headlines and captions; instead, he investigates the candidates’ identities, platforms, and how they came to their current positions.

“Not all things posted on social media are fact-checked. As receivers of the information, it is our responsibility to check the information we receive,” Borja said as he concluded the topic. 

In a question about what values the guest speakers are looking for in their ideal leaders, Vela answered that integrity is on the top of her mind.

“Integrity is taking authenticity to the next level. It is what happens behind closed doors,” she explained. 

Vela also shared her insights about the 2019 elections, saying that there are two types of people who emerge when candidates lose: some dwell on that loss, while some take the loss and still serve anyway.

She also stated that real public servants establish their own platforms even if they do not have the title, thus she proposed that it should be something that the general public considers when determining who to vote for in a certain position.

Nery, on the other hand, said that his ideal leader must not say yes to any of his four questions: Will they cut down on civil liberties? Will they encourage violence? Will they reject democratic norms? Will they deny the legitimacy and critiques of the opposition?

Cupin, then, asked Janina how she planned the video that the former created about Martial Law, despite knowing how much hate she could receive from doing that action. 

“We have always been simply reactionary to fake news. ‘Pag may lumalabas na fake news, doon lang tayo nagsasalita. ‘Pag may nangyaring masama sa bansa natin, doon lang tayo nagsasalita… Anything I say now is controversial,” Janina shared as she explained that she is ready to be red-tagged as long as she stands on what she believed is worth fighting for. 

According to Borja, a bad company corrupts good character, so he encouraged the youth to raise awareness and to educate each other. 

“We do not need to become apathetic; it doesn’t have to happen to you for it to matter,” Borja added as he further explained that issues concerning human rights are non-negotiable aspects of society. 

Cupin concluded the talk by reminding the audience to research and educate themselves now that elections are fast approaching. 

#PHVote Dialogues is a part of Rappler’s #WeDecide campaign and aims to highlight the need for good governance.

Photo Source: Rappler