The Impact of Infrastructure Projects on Voter Sentiment
BUILD! BUILD! BUILD! Did you ever wonder why whenever the election is near, we start to see road construction? Proposed barangay building? Construction of bridges? Infrastructure improvement is very crucial in the Philippines, as the country aims to reduce the poverty rate. These projects are expected to bring important benefits to the Philippine economy and to the lives of ordinary citizens. A better internet and transportation, for example, would help market and raise the farmers’ produce and income in rural places; improvements in the quality of infrastructure services will help to attract more investment and improve productivity around the country. More importantly, infrastructure projects can significantly impact voter sentiment, often shaping political outcomes by influencing how citizens perceive the government’s effectiveness, priorities, and ability to address public needs. Here’s a closer look at the various dimensions of how infrastructure projects affect voter sentiment: Economic Benefits and Job Creation Perception of Government Competence Addressing Community Needs Environmental and Social Considerations Political Messaging and Visibility Corruption and Transparency Long-Term Effects on Voter Behavior Case Studies To conclude, infrastructure projects play a critical role in shaping voter sentiment by impacting economic conditions, the perception of government competence, addressing local needs, and influencing long-term quality of life. By: Lloyd Alexis Muldong NEWS SOURCE: 29 more government infrastructure projects completed next year | Philstar.com The Philippines: A Good Time to Expand the Infrastructure Push (imf.org)
The Role of Youth Organizations in Philippine Politics
MISSION: SHAPING THE FUTURE In the Philippine Literature, I’m sure you once heard or have read the famous Rizal quote, “Kabataan ang Pag-asa ng Bayan” (The youth is the Hope of our Nation). With that quote in mind, the youth nowadays are more involved in the political landscape of the Philippines. According to the Commission of Elections (COMELEC), one of the driving forces of the previous 2022 presidential election was comprised of voters aged 15 to 30 years old or 56% of total registered votes. The youth’s energy, idealism, and innovative approaches have been catalysts of change in regards to social and political change. There are a lot of notable youth organizations in the Philippines that serve as a platform for young people to engage in advocating for their rights, civic participation and bring campaign awareness to issues that persuade the lawmakers to take action. The following are; Youth Vote Philippines, it’s an organization that promotes voter education and participation among young filipinos. Youth for Environmental Protection, focuses on their advocacies about environmental concerns in the country. Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, a federation of student councils in the Philippines, and probably one you most heard of, Kabataan Partylist. A political party representing the interest of young people in the Philippine Congress. Here are the 5 vital roles of the Youth Organization in the Philippines: Advocacy and Activism- advocating for various causes such as social and political issues such as human rights, education reform, etc. By organizing protests, rallies and awareness campaigns. Civic Education and Voter Engagement- by conducting voter registration drives, and organizing forums and debates. Leadership Development- by offering opportunities for young people to be equipped with tools and confidence to become future effective leaders. Policy Influence- they can influence policy decisions by participating in the policy-making process. Community Development- such initiatives from youth organizations contribute to the well-being of their communities, such as helping to build schools, promoting sustainable development, etc. The challenges along the way are expected such as having limited resources and funding, political patronage that might compromise independence, lack of recognition by the policymakers and the general public, and not to mention, potential for radicalization as they are susceptible to extremist ideologies. Despite these challenges Youth Organizations continue to contribute to Philippine politics, they show potential to be powerful agents of change and advance democracy. By: Janha Tolentino & Lloyd Alexis Muldong References: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1193992 https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/youth-vote-05052022150215.html https://www.fundsforngos.org/proposals/importance-of-engaging-youth-in-organizations-and-communities/ https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=5576#:~:text=Abstract%3A,issues%20of%20society%20and%20government.
The Role of Fact-Checking Organizations in Elections (Vera Files, Rappler last 2022 elections)
Can Fact-Checkers Save Our Democracy in 2025? As the 2025 elections approach, can we afford to ignore the spread of misinformation? A recent incident involving Vice President Leni Robredo shows just how easily falsehoods can go viral—and how critical fact-checking is to protecting our democracy. 3 Ways Fact-Checkers are Safeguarding Election Integrity 1. Exposing viral lies A recent false claim about Vice President Leni Robredo’s stance on the 2022 elections went viral, proving how easily misinformation can distort public perception. Fact-checkers like Rappler and VERA Files were the first to debunk this lie, preventing it from further misleading voters. 2. Serving as the first line of defense Did you know that during high-stakes elections, misinformation often targets emotions to manipulate voters? Fact-checkers work tirelessly to identify and correct these distortions before they can influence public opinion. 3. Empowering voters with the truth In a world flooded with information, how do you know what’s real? Fact-checking organizations ensures that voters have access to accurate, reliable information, enabling them to make informed decisions based on facts, not fabrications. Fact-checkers’ role becomes more crucial as election day gets near for preserving the integrity of our democratic system. Their diligence ensures that voters like you are equipped with the facts and serves as a vital check on the dissemination of false information By: Althea Nuestro INFO SOURCE: https://www.acadecraft.com/blog/what-is-fact-checking-and-why-is-it-important/ NEWS SOURCE: https://verafiles.org/articles/vera-files-fact-check-robredo-did-not-say-her-election-win-is-assured
Strategies for Engaging First-Time Voters
Project: Elect It may be quite an effort to get young people to vote. Since it does not only require a great deal of convincing, but there must also be a catch in order for them to be hooked. Having young people involved in elections contributes to preparing the next generation of civic-minded citizens. And young people are more likely to have confidence in local election leaders as well as the electoral system when they are educated about the procedures needed. For first-time voters— they may find the process stressful and confusing as there are a lot of uncertainties about how to vote and how things operate. However, that’s probably how you would find it out as you go through it. For a more structured guideline to effectively persuade first-time voters particularly young voters, presenting are the 6 fresh and quirky recommendations: Holding sticker design contests Creating future voting guides Formulating Gen Z-coded hashtags Updating election websites with resources for young voters Registering young voters in creative ways Hosting mock elections When it comes to involving young people in their duty to the community, it’s never too early. In reality, doing so allows them to observe directly how our nation works, which may increase their sense of commitment to their part in nation-building. Moreover, we can influence the changes we want to see in our country by exercising our right to vote. Given that the future is our youth— young people need to be encouraged to take part in this initiative. At the end of the day, we all have the freedom to choose the representatives we want to be part of our government, but it is also our duty to make sure that the ones we support are qualified for the positions for which they are running. We are the ones who build our future, and we shall not settle for less than we deserve. By: Pauline Anacay INFO SOURCE: https://www.techandciviclife.org/youth-engagement/
Effective Use of Political Surveys and Polls (sample the trends on the 2022 presidential election)
How can you leverage political surveys to your advantage? Are you relying on political surveys to shape your campaign strategy, or are you missing out on their full potential? As demonstrated by the 2022 Philippine elections, understanding and effectively using political surveys and polls is more critical than ever in a digital age dominated by fast-evolving public sentiments. Political surveys, like those tracked by Rappler from 2020 to 2022, offered more than just a snapshot of who was leading and revealed key voter trends. But are you interpreting these results in a way that maximizes your campaign’s impact? 1. Understand the Role of Surveys and Polls Polls and surveys both gather public opinion but serve different purposes. Polls typically ask a single, focused question to get a quick snapshot of public sentiment. Surveys, on the other hand, are more comprehensive, asking multiple questions to explore voter motivations, issues that matter to them, and more. 2. Use of Surveys to Identify Key Trends Regularly updated surveys help you track voter sentiment shifts, allowing proactive campaign adjustments. 3. Quick insights Polls measure immediate public reactions, aiding swift strategy changes. 4. Digital influence With 80.7% of Filipinos using social media, the 2022 elections emphasized the importance of understanding how online platforms influence surveys and polls. As public opinion can be swayed by disinformation and viral content, analyzing the interplay between digital trends and survey data became a necessity. This shows the need for a dual focus on both traditional surveys and digital conversations shaping them. On top of that, surveys and polls are more than just numbers—they tell a story about what voters care about and how they are likely to act. By effectively using these tools, you can gain a deeper understanding of the electorate and position your campaign to meet voters where they are, both physically and digitally. By: Althea Nuestro NEWS SOURCE: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/elections/survey-monitor-polls-philippines-2022/ INFO SOURCE: https://www.questionpro.com/polls/poll-vs-survey.html
The Role of Celebrity Endorsements in Philippine Elections
Celebrification in Politics PHOTO COURTESY: Philippine Star In a country where showbiz and politics are closely linked and celebrities coexist with ease, it is inevitable for legitimacy to be mistaken as popularity. Which most likely happens when voters choose whose name to write under in the election ballots— perceiving celebrities with an extremely significant role to play. Politics has also been alleged of becoming an entertainment industry, with the appearance and presentation taking precedence over governance skills. The result of the phenomenon of celebrities entering politics caused the political scales to tilt towards the rich. And the fresh perspectives that celebrities bring, free them from political patronage as well as increasing the variety of viewpoints represented in our country. The term “celebrification,” also known as “celebritification,” was coined by several authors to describe the way that the celebrity factor defines behavior and influences how an individual perceives a person, concept, or product as a result of their “parasocial” interactions with the personalities of popular entertainment media. According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the term “celebrification” is also used to describe an occurrence that seems to be rampant in the Philippine political landscape during election seasons: celebrities support candidates while they are running for a position, and celebrities even go into politics themselves with the intention of serving the public. However, the use of celebrities as endorsers may boost voters’ susceptibility to political commercials. Here are some instances of this phenomenon: in the past, while he was romantically linked with notable TV broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, Mar Roxas, the former secretary of trade and industry, was elected to the Senate. (They got married in 2009, which coincided with Roxas’ emergence as a vice presidential candidate in the May 2010 presidential elections.) Moreover, conversations regarding the idea of “celebrification/celebritification” all point out the power and influence that celebrities have on society today. Yet, there is still a lack of research on the reasons behind people’s “halo” or “angel-like” perceptions of celebrities and the motives underlying the growth of the celebrification culture. Furthermore, since interpersonal relationships and the media are facets of communication that are crucial to the celebrification process, produces a unique effect on the media to the people and can be equated to social interaction— influencing delicate political matters and shaping the relationship between the voting public and celebrity endorsers. By: Pauline Anacay NEWS SOURCE: https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/28274-celebrity-power-politics-connection/ INFO SOURCE: https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/socialsciencediliman/article/view/1979/1869
The Role of Political Parties in 2025 Elections (Sample last elections 2022)
GET TO KNOW THE POLITICAL PARTIES Whether you’re a first time voter or not, I’m pretty sure you wonder why you can only cast one vote for a political party at the back of your ballot. The parties on the list goes on but, how and why can you only vote for one? Read along to find out the roles of Political Parties to help you decide who to vote for in the coming 2025 national elections. A political party is an organization of men and women that is united by a common political principle and platform to seek controlling powers of the government to serve the national interest of the public; they are manifestations of a representative democracy. Political Parties are among the vital instruments of a democratic government as they are an invaluable agency in managing transfer of political power, maintaining or changing governments. Get to know the key points of the part list system: What is their purpose? Political Parties give representation to various sectors of labor, farmers, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, empowerment of women, veterans, overseas workers, and professionals (e.g. teachers). How do they work anyway? Each voter will choose a party-list group, they are not individual candidates. Their seats in congress are allocated proportionally based on the number of votes each party receives. The votes comprise 20% votes of the House of Representatives, ½ of the seats allocated to the party-list representatives are filled by selection or election. There are a lot of political parties on the back of my ballot, do they all have a seat? There are limitations on the number of seats a political party can win to prevent domination by a single party. There are a total of 169 parties listed and accredited by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and a seat is decided if the groups received at least 2% of the total party-list votes that earned one party-list seat in the Congress. A Party-list system is there to democratize political power by giving the political parties who can not win in legislative district elections a chance to win seats in the House of Representatives. Due to the nature of our political landscape, party lists continue to evolve and there’s always manifesting parties and current ones changing their platforms. Always check and consult government sources and reliable news outlets to stay informed. By: Janha Tolentino References: https://votepilipinas.com/candidates-plg.html https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/political-parties-in-the-philippines-a00287-20190127-lfrm?s=gae49auo4i1tgvoed5uimaf8sg https://www.ombudsman.gov.ph/UNDP4/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KP4.-Primer-1-Building-the-Philippine-Political-Party-System.pdf https://comelec.gov.ph/
Targeting and Engaging Gen Z Voters
With millions of Gen Zers eligible to vote in the 2024 elections, how can your campaign win their attention? Here are seven key strategies to engage this tech-savvy and socially conscious generation. 1. Master Social Media Half of Gen Zers collect their news updates from social media. Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X, but tailor your content to fit each platform’s style and trends. 2. Be Authentic Gen Z sees through insincerity. Focus on transparency, and communicate genuine messages that reflect your candidate’s true values and goals. 3. Address Their Key Issues Speak to what matters most to Gen Z: climate change, social justice, and economic reform. Show them how your candidate is prepared to tackle these issues. 4. Embrace Digital Engagement Offer opportunities for online participation like virtual town halls and digital activism, as Gen Z’s more likely to engage in online campaign activities. 5. Partner With Trusted Influencers Rather than flashy influencers, work with activists and community leaders Gen Z respects and trusts. 6. Provide Educational Content Give Gen Z the tools to make informed choices through engaging content like videos, infographics, and interactive platforms. 7. Create Dialogue Platforms Gen Z wants to be heard. Offer spaces for them to share their thoughts, whether on social media pages, online forums, or virtual meetings, and show that their input matters. As Gen Z’s influence grows, campaigns that prioritize authenticity, digital engagement, and meaningful connection will win their vote and shape the future of politics. Are you ready to connect with the next generation of voters? By: Althea Nuestro INFO SOURCE: https://www.aristotle.com/blog/2024/02/7-tips-to-engage-gen-z-voters/ NEWS SOURCE: https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/15/22/millennials-gen-z-influenced-halalan2022-online-discussions-study
Strategies for Engaging Overseas Filipino Voters (Sample voter turnout OFW elections 2022)
Could Online Voting Be the Game Changer for Overseas Filipinos in 2025? With a voter turnout of just 34.88% in 2022, over a million overseas Filipinos did not cast their votes. What kept them from participating? Is it time to rethink our approach to engaging overseas voters? 3 Strategies to Maximize Overseas voters Promote Online Voting Accessibility Did you know that online voting could be as simple as logging in on your smartphone? By making sure Filipinos abroad are aware of this new option, we can significantly increase voter turnout. Streamline Registration with Digital Platforms Have you registered yet? Online registration is already ongoing and runs until September 30, 2024. Making this process easier and more accessible will ensure that more Filipinos are ready to vote when time comes. Address Security Concerns Proactively Worried of the safety of your online vote? Assuring that the voters are secure and transparent is key to building trust and encouraging participation. BE PART OF THE HISTORY! With online voting, the 2025 elections could see the highest turnout among overseas Filipinos yet. Will you be one of them? Let every vote count— no matter where in the world you are. By: Althea Nuestro INFO SOURCE: RAPPLER https://www.rappler.com/philippines/elections/guides-how-to-register-vote-overseas-2025/ NEWS SOURCE: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/dispatch/831355/eleksyon-2022-overseas-voting-turnout-reaches-record-high-of-34-88-comelec/story/
Effective Ground Game Strategies for Philippine Politics
A GAME OF STRATEGIES Politics is never a simple game; it is a game of political strategies that plays an important role during campaign season. Even the most open politicians employ various tactics to attract voters and outmaneuver opponents. Some of these tactics are used more frequently and effectively than others. Here is the list of six political strategies and tactics that will definitely be a game changer: Controlling the agenda and decision criteria Voters often have specific criteria in mind that guide their decisions. However, even when these criteria are met, it can still lead to disappointment in terms of their expectations. Therefore, you take control and command the agenda and decision criteria, such as focusing on the agenda of rallies, attendance numbers of rallies and events (in order to show strong public support), and portraying your agenda (as “public agenda”). Using external expertise A reliable political strategy to enhance the credibility of your policies, viewpoints, and arguments is to utilize external expertise for support. These experts include the following: political lobbyists, nonprofit groups, individual experts, and advocates. These experts are seen as the first authority in their respective fields and as backing a candidate. Thus, those who look up to these professionals who have established supporters transfer their support to you. Controlling symbols and narratives Build your narrative on how you perceive your audience, and how you want to be perceived by the audience. Some examples of manipulating and controlling symbols and narratives as a political strategy are: Focusing on political successes while using spin doctors to manage failures or shortcomings. Employing subversive tactics against incumbents or other powerful institutions. Crafting memorable political slogans that inspire optimism and hope. Strategically organizing events and appearances so that people see you as a provider of solutions, not problems. Leveraging interpersonal communication. Campaigns use interpersonal communication to determine how the audience associates themselves with the candidates. Two main components of political interpersonal communication are: Equally convenient platform or method of communication. A narrative that either of the parties feel akin to. Indulging in negative and positive campaigning. Negative campaigning deals with the attack and criticism of the opponent, while positive campaigning is acknowledging the candidate. It is a standard narrative during campaign season requiring detailed planning for the implementation. Forming coalitions and partnerships. This political strategy is particularly effective when the person endorsing a candidate has a large, trusted following and no direct stake in the election. Forming coalitions and partnerships is an advisable political strategy when you lack a definite majority or when the election has become a contest of one against all others. To conclude, political strategies can be a way to manipulate circumstances in order to suit your campaign. Though, we trust in the fundamental integrity of the campaigning individual and party. We also hope that when selecting your political strategy, you choose one that is fair, honorable, and trustworthy. By: Lloyd Alexis Muldong INFO SOURCE: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcallhub.io%2Fblog%2Fpolitical-campaign%2Fpolitical-strategy%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2hdIeipYe7BrTwkLUzcbAnBtL4VWWi8K_8JQyDP1WteF8sLAgc2t–dtk_aem_GyHCvfhbZ1ashQvni8zo0w&h=AT0ssjghXgTSitEm34ORLILPy4CjdR2NACrfn5I0jdGaFdABt50cySpAzw0GBq9XPJ5UDuKiwkzz24II6CwGt4r4rR6mcUvIyF64KbFiYxPC8wfd9ECd948RVangZAMZnrMRwA
