MovePH 2016: Online campaigns and the communities they served

 

MANILA, Philippines – To say that 2016 is an eventful year on social media is an understatement. From combatting trolls to online bullying, this is the year when we saw the dark side of social media and how it can be used to undermine dissent.

Despite the online noise, MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement arm continued to build communities of action based on issues and social problems. We linked up online campaigns with the initiatives of partners on the ground. (READ: Partnerships to Move the Philippines forward)

As the year ends, we highlight the online campaigns we’ve launched and their impact on the communities that we continue to serve.

#TheLeaderIWant: Citizen journalism

In 2016, we saw how social media played a pivotal role in the Philippine elections. Rappler – together with its partners from the Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, Lente, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) – harnessed the power of social media through the #PHVote platform to keep the public informed about the candidates in the national and local elections and where they stood on key issues.

The MovePH team went around different provinces during the first quarter of 2016 to teach young people how to use social media in raising the awareness of voters. Aside from holding forums, MovePH also trained citizen journalists in 12 provinces to become our eyes and ears on the ground to make sure the voices of communities were heard.

These trainings culminated with MovePH bringing our 20 core leaders from the provinces for a Citizen Journalism Summit in Manila. We equipped them with the right tools and further trained them on storytelling so they can properly cover the elections for us.

Our Movers  submitted hundreds of stories on local elections and continue to be our key coordinators in the provinces. Their stories enriched Rappler’s #PHVote coverage, the result of the collaborative work of journalists, researchers, tech specialists, artists, partner organizations, volunteers, and voters who cared to deepen the discussion through online engagement.

#Du30Cabinet Watch: Accountability

It was a time of hope and excitement as the country elected its first president from Mindanao. As the new government was transitioning, we wanted to keep watch of our institutions and make sure we get the leaders that we deserve.

We launched #Du30Cabinet Watch to ask netizens what they thought of the qualifications of the presumptive appointees of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Through the campaign, netizens vetted some appointments and suggested changemakers to key government positions.

X marks spot for NGOs, student organizations

Political participation should not stop after the elections. This year, MovePH created a network of non-government organizations (NGOs) and advocacy groups to amplify development and advocacy stories.

We invited more than 200 student organizations and around 30 NGOs to use X, Rappler’s free self-publishing platform, to help them amplify their content and build online communities. (READ: 2016 on X: From political to personal)

We signed partnerships with the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines – Iloilo, Project PEARLS, Childhope Asia, Generation Hope, Operation Blessing, I am MAD, Philippine Toy Library, and Youth Sports Advocacy (YSA) to train them on storytelling and online campaigns.

As a result, our partners have been using X to promote their efforts. Generation Hope ran their #GivingTuesday campaign and Childhope Asia promoted their Musikalye event on X. I am MAD and Youth Sports Advocacy (YSA) use X to share stories of their volunteers.

Even the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) have started using the publication feature of X to post updates on the historic peace talks. 

#StayNegatHIVe: We need to curb the epidemic

MovePH also continued to tackle the country’s growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic through the #StayNegatHIVe microsite.

As a result of the digital campaign, the number of people who availed themselves of HIV testing services through LoveYourself increased by 60%.

MovePH initiated the online campaign in partnership with the advocacy group LoveYourself and advertising firm DM9 JaymeSyfu. #StayNegatHIVe ran during the last quarter of 2015 in a concerted effort of Movers and citizen journalists from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The campaign won bronze at the 2016 Boomerang Awards under the NGO and government institutions advocacies category.

Agos e-Bayanihan

Social media has increasingly been used in disaster preparedness and response efforts in 2016. MovePH’s Agos platform, powered by eBayanihan, continued to collaborate with the government and the private sector in amplifying life-saving drills and in crowdsourcing critical and actionable information before, during, and after disasters.

Rappler and MovePH hosted the microsite of this year’s Metro Manila Shakedrill or #MMShakeDrill, which broke its 2015 record by about 1.4 billion impressions on Twitter, indicating widespread engagement and interest in the disaster preparedness exercise. Meanwhile, #Pagyanig (quake), the hashtag of the National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill for the second quarter of 2016, reached more than 1.3 billion impressions.

In 2016, the Agos eBayanihan team also activated its online and ground operations to prepare communities and save lives. It also helped the government, civil society, and the private sector gather information on what’s needed and where relief is needed most. 

.@dswdserves Dir Felino Castro urges netizens to post #FloodPH & #RescuePH reports on https://t.co/q4RWwoiC3h pic.twitter.com/KBftx9AJ64

— Voltaire Tupaz (@VoltaireTupaz) August 13, 2016

 

MovePH also held several Agos 101 training workshops for the RACERS, Kabalikat Civicom, React, and other civic groups. The spirit of volunteerism of these responders has inspired vulnerable communities affected by disasters that hit the country this year. 

 

#NotOnMyWatch: Anti-corruption caravan

Drawing lessons from experiences in Agos-eBayanihan, Rappler launched the #NotOnMyWatch campaign which harnesses mobile and web technologies and social media to call out corruption and commend good practices. (READ: #NotOnMyWatch: Reporting corruption made easier) 

#NotOnMyWatch promotes accountability and transparency by organizing reports and visualizing them real-time to show the public where corruption occurs most frequently and what form they usually take.

MovePH complemented the online drive with a caravan. With the support of the British Embassy in Manila, we visted Cebu, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Laguna to train civil society groups on how to report corruption using the campaign’s platform.

So far, we have gathered 460 reports of corruption and more than 30,000 pledges to fight corruption with the help of our partners. (READ: Reporting corruption made easier)

The campaign will run until February 2017.

This was how MovePH used the power of storytelling and social media to build partnerships and achieve real-world impact.

Thank you for moving the Philippines with us! – Rappler.com

Do you have an advocacy or project that you want to partner with? Let us know on move.ph@rappler.com!