IT is more or less 30 days before the deadline of registration for new voters. The upcoming elections will be very consequential—with the country divided, a pandemic that seems to have no end, and an economy circling the drain—so it is very important to exercise your right to vote.
I don’t know if this is what urged Robi Domingo to message Star Magic head and ABS-CBN boss Lauren Dyogi one Sunday afternoon regarding the importance of Star Magic artists to be registered voters. One thing I am sure of: Robi knows the influence he and his Star Magic colleagues have especially among the youth, and they would like to use this to inform, educate and encourage more Filipinos to register to vote and participate in the upcoming 2022 national elections.
Anyway, after that fateful text, Lauren coordinated with the ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Department, as well as the Commission of Elections (Comelec) to banner the voter registration campaign of ABS-CBN’s Bayan Mo, i-Patrol Mo (BMPM).
Now, before anyone accuses this as a vanity project of these celebrities and that it won’t have any impact, think twice. You have to remember that young people comprise a third of the voting population. In the last national elections, it took 16 million to elect a president. And during the mid-term elections, there were 22 million actual youth voters. So imagine the power of young people in shaping this country’s future.
Besides Robi, very active in this campaign are Ria Atayde, Edward Barber, Donny Pangilinan, Miles Ocampo, Aya Fernandez, Alora Sasam, Karina Bautista, Josh Colet, Anji Salvacion, Charles Kieron, Heaven Peralejo, Pepe Herrera and Dominic Ochoa.
“This is a most consequential election in our country’s history kaya mahalaga na manindigan tayo sa karapatang ito. Maraming salamat sa Star Magic at Comelec, pati sa iba pang grupo na nagsusulong ng voter registration,” ABS-CBN News head Ging Reyes said.
Meanwhile, Comelec director James Jimenez said that artists speaking out about the importance of voting is a big help in convincing people to register for the elections.
“Natutuwa kami sa proyektong ito para ma-address ’yung perennial problem na ’yan, ’yung disinterest o pagiging unengaged ng mga kabataan. Ang kabataan ngayon ay bumubuo ng mahigit one-third ng ating voting population,” he said.
For Robi, a single vote can spell a huge difference for the future of the country. “Remember that we’re going to be part of something big. It’s not a story of a champion or a titleholder, this is not just our story, it’s history. It will have a ripple effect on the future generations. Instead of saying ‘isa lang ako,’ say ‘isa pa ako,’” Robi shared.
Star Magic artist Ria added, “You don’t have to have a million followers to create change. So it’s good to see that within our circle in Star Magic, we’re doing this. As simple as one vote seems, your vote matters.”
As ambassadors, the stars will emphasize the role of the youth in nation-building through their participation in the elections as they take part in BMPM workshops nationwide and BMPM voter education efforts on social media.
“Pinapakita na sa pamamagitan ng BMPM, ng citizen journalism, na pwede tayong makatulong para sa ating barangay, ekswelahan, at bayan. Panahon na uli ng eleksyon, kaya tulong-tulong po tayong mag-patrol. Nandito po kami para sa inyo, eleksyon man o hindi,” Bayan Mo, i-Patrol Mo head Weng Paraan said.
Filipino citizens aged at least 18 years old, who are residents of the country and currently living in the place they intend to vote in for at least six months are eligible to register.
They just need to fill out the online forms on iRehistro (irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/cef1) and go to the nearest Comelec office to submit their accomplished application forms together with a valid ID and a photocopy of it. The deadline for voter registration is on September 30. According to fiery and admirable Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, the country now has 5.77 million new voters for the 2022 national elections. And to quote another fiery and admirable woman, Taylor Swift, “it’s not enough to just want change…. You have to go and make change by voting.”
So, go out and register and vote in 2022.