DAVAO City-based environment group launches the 2025 Green Vote Campaign Survey in time for the upcoming midterm elections.
Milky Shane Gindon, policy advocacy officer of Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis), said the survey is a way to help voters know the environmental advocacies of the politicians that they would be voting on May 12, 2025 elections.
Gindon said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw, on Monday, March 10, 2025, at SM City Davao, that they would be giving specific theme and surveys to candidates to know what is their stand on the numerous environment issues and what they aim to do.
She said that they would use all the means to reach the politicians to ensure that they could participate in the survey. She said they would visit their offices, send it to their emails, and they would be given one month to answer. The results will be released to the public after the event.
Justin Joshua Pungyan, environmental research officer of IDIS, said that they would launch the Green Vote Survey on March 11 until April 11, 2025.
“It is a month-long survey although it is a one time pagtubag sa mga kandidato pero we are giving them enough time to respond," he said.
Some of the topics that the candidates would answer in the survey are watershed protection, sustainable tourism, solid waste management, urban livability, good agricultural practices, and sustainable or clean energy, among others.
“Ang tubag sa kandidato, pabor ba siya or dili pabor or naa ba siyay reservations or mag abstain ba siya (The candidate would answer whether the candidate would agree or not),” he said.
Greenvote is also in partnership with SunStar Davao (SSD).
Ralph Lawrence Llemit, social media editor of SunStar Davao (SSD), said that they are honoured to be chosen as the partner of IDIS to contribute to raising awareness on the environmental advocacies of the politicians.
“Dako gyud ni ang tabang sa Greenvote to make the public aware kung unsa gyud ang stand sa mga politicians on certain environmental issues (The Greenvote is a huge help to make the public aware on what is the stand of politicians on certain environmental issues),” he said.
Meanwhile, Davao City Councilor Pilar Braga in her privilege speech called upon the electoral candidates, voters, and government institutions to integrate sustainability in their political landscape. She then stressed that democracy should not come at the cost of the environment.
Braga expressed that during campaign season numerous materials such as PVC tarpaulins, plastic streamers, and single-use paraphernalia have contributed to waste pollution, plastic accumulation, and environmental degradation in the city. She said that these single-use campaign materials end up in landfills and have clogged the drainage system.
The councilor also called on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Local Government Units (LGU) to take action and regulate campaign materials and enforce environmental policies during the election period. She said that LGUs should reflect the implementation of the City Government of Davao’s 2022 Executive Order on post-election waste retrieval and recycling.
“The time of action is now. The upcoming elections provide us with a unique opportunity to redefine how we exercise our democratic rights while staying true to our commitment to environmental preservation,” she said.
The Green Vote aims to transform how the election is conducted for it promotes eco-friendly and sustainable campaign practices.
IDIS encourages the political candidates to use greener alternatives during their campaign period such as zero-waste campaign, limit the use of non-biodegradable materials, and utilize digital and multimedia materials instead of relying on printed materials. They also urge strict adherence to Republic Act 3571 otherwise known as “An Act to Prohibit the Cutting, Destroying, or Injuring of Planted or Growing Trees, Flowering Plants, and Shrubs or Plants of Scenic Value along Public Roads, in Plazas, Parks, Schools, Premises, or any other public ground.”
The group also encouraged political candidates to participate in the survey, this way the public would know their stance on environmental policies and actions. RGP