Thursday, January 31, 2008 Toral: Renewing interest in 2010 elections through blogs By Janette Toral Digital Filipino
LAST Saturday, I was invited as resource person for an online chat session. I got the chance to exchange ideas with several political media personalities with whom I discussed political blogging.
To prepare for the session, I created a frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) guide at http://philippineselection. blogspot.com and started encouraging blogger friends to share their insights on what they think are the important issues voters have to consider when choosing leaders in 2010. This is not limited to the presidential elections, it should include local concerns.
Not surprisingly, a lot of us had a quite tough time in writing down our insights as not much thought have been put into it. We got so busy with the rigors of daily living that the elections is one exercise that we usually attend to when the voters’ registration and election day come. With all the politicking happening at the government level and the opposition, a lot of us got disengaged while our faith in the process became weak.
Our lack of clear perspective of the things important to us and our uncertainty as to which of the candidates will be able to address those concerns may stop or disinterest us from voting altogether.
While there are no clear players to date, blogs and bloggers have a unique opportunity this year to serve as a medium where Filipino voters can share insights and important issues. The earlier we start the discussion, the better prepared we are to analyze candidates and their platform.
The challenge, though, is getting as many bloggers from different parts of the country and overseas to allot a blog post discussing political concerns on a regular basis. While the bloggers may feel awkward at first, the said process can help re-awaken their interest and start everyone thinking about what each want our country to be in the next elections. It would be great if election monitoring groups would also reach out to bloggers as a lot of them are willing to help and participate, given the chance.
Renewing our faith in the process is important as there are fears that the election in 2010 will not push through due to moves to change our form of government. While there is no clear indication that such will happen, the possibility can’t be ruled out. This is why Filipinos, especially Internet users, should harness the power of technology to start sharing their thoughts and be vigilant in the process.
In 2006, there were efforts to change our form of government. In one press conference, one of the members of a group of young people opposed to the move was asked why they were against it. “This is our future. We can’t just allow a few people to vote on our fate as a country,” was the young man’s reply.
I hope that through blogs and social networks, Filipino Internet users — young and old — would be encouraged as early as now to prepare and use the medium to exchange insights and, one way or another, contribute in as deciding the future of our country.
