04/05/2025
๐๐ช๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ค๐๐ง๐๐๐ฎ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ค๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐. The right to vote not only empowers citizens to choose their leaders but also strengthens political accountability and civic engagement. In healthy democracies, voter participation is essential in ensuring that governance efficiently addresses the people's needs.
As this year's midterm elections approach, Sui Generis recently launched a voter education campaign on April 28-29, 2025, in partnership with the MSU-IIT Institute for Policy Innovation and Leadership (IPIL) and the Department of Political Science. One of the campaign's highlights was the"๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ", a voting hub where MSU-IIT students, faculty, staff, and the visiting participants from St. Peter's College (SPC) and Iligan Medical Center College (IMCC) selected their top 3 preferred senatorial candidates. The hub has provided QR codes containing the full details of these candidates โ their educational background, notable achievements, track record, and political stances on various issues in the country.
In the said hub, ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐จ of Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KANP) leads the senatorial race with a total of 72 votes โ 37 Voting Hub voters selected him as their top choice, 24 as their second, and 11 as their third. ๐๐ข๐ค๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ง of the Liberal Party (LP) follows in second place with 59 votes, while independent candidate ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข ๐๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ณ๐ ranked third with 43 votes. Other candidates received varying levels of support across the preference rankings. However, several lesser-known aspirants, mostly independents or members of minor parties, garnered no votes from the voting hub poll.
Although this activity did not reach the entire campus population due to its limited exposure and duration, it stands as a timely reminder of the importance of knowing oneโs candidates and voting wisely. In an age of rapid technological advancement and widespread misinformation, finding factual and reliable information โ especially online โ has become increasingly difficult. As Filipino citizens, it is our responsibility to ensure that our votes create positive ripples of change. This begins with our personal efforts, such as fact-checking claims, consulting credible sources, and critically evaluating the track records and platforms of those who seek public office. In doing so, we contribute to building a more just, informed, and democratic Philippines.
๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ข, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
