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This is an announcement from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
MANILA, Philippines – How important is the youth vote in the upcoming elections?
With less than 10 days before the May 9 national and local elections, Youth Vote Philippines (YVP) and Young Public Servants Inc. (YPS) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), SDG Youth National Convergence (SYNC) and Rappler, are hosting “The Filipino Youth Agenda on SDGs and the 2016 Elections” on Saturday, April 30 at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura in Taguig City.
The event will have two components: the morning program will focus on the Filipino youth and the Sustainable Development Goals, while the afternoon will have a forum on youth issues with candidates running for both houses of Congress.
Country Representative of UNFPA Klaus Beck will deliver a keynote address linking the importance education, health and employment with sustainable development. (READ: The country’s next leaders should focus on the youth)
Based on Commission on Elections (COMELEC) data, about 22 million registered voters, out of a total 54.6 million, are aged 18-30 years old.
In preparation for this year’s elections, YouthVote Philippines has been partnering with various organizations across the country, including the National Youth Commission (NYC), COMELEC, and the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) to maximize the participation of the youth in the upcoming elections.
The toolkit also comes with a CD containing digital copies of voter’s education materials with highlights of its CHANGE Scorecard – another tool that can be used by first-time voters and older voters to help them assess their preferred candidates based on the following criteria: Competent, Honest, Accountable, Non-Biased, Good Governance Advocate, and Empowering.
“The importance of gathering the Filipino youth is a crucial stage in the May 2016 elections since majority of the voters will be coming from our sector – the youth,” Chard Amazona, YVP Program Head, said
“We believe that we already have the numbers. Getting the youth informed and empowered is another crucial step to fully actualize the importance of the youth vote and how we can shape the discussions and the results of the elections,” he added.
“The last 10 days is a rallying call for every candidate that the youth of today are more active and can make or break the results of this year’s elections,” Amazona emphasized. – Rappler.com
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