#TheLeaderIWant forum: #PHVote Challenge goes to Iloilo

MANILA, Philippines – Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas take elections seriously.

For the 2016 polls, more than 105,000 voters registered in Iloilo province. In Iloilo City, the province’s capital and the center of Western Visayas, more than 261,000 registered.

The  province and its capital are a reliable source of votes. During the 2010 presidential elections, then Senator Benigno Aquino III won in the province with 374,038 votes. Aquino also gained 96,043 votes from Iloilo City.

Administration candidate Mar Roxas has been courting the province’s officials, promising them a Visayas president. Presidential candidates Senators Grace Poe, whose citizenship is still in question, and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago also trace their roots back to the historic city.

The city and the province are on the swift road to development, but not without any problems. One  concern among Ilonggos is the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases, which mostly affect the youth. Like in other highly-urbanized cities, flooding brought by typhoons also affects many Ilonggos’ way of life.

Iloilo City’s sustainability was also threatened when it faced an imminent water crisis caused by a drought in 2015.

Taking the national and local candidates’ positions on these different issues, how will the youth of Iloilo vote?

Iloilo’s #PHVote challenge

In May 2015, Rappler launched #PHVote: The Leader I Want, the theme of its 2016 elections coverage. To empower the Filipino youth in choosing the leaders the country deserves, Rappler and its civic engagement arm, MovePH, held #PHVote forums across the Philippines in 2015 – Davao, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.

We started 2016 in Laguna and Eastern Visayas. Our next destination is Iloilo!

#PHVote Challenge: Iloilo’s #TheLeaderIWant will be held from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday, February 13, at the University of the Philippines Visayas Auditorium.

The forum – organized in partnership with UP Visayas, Freedom from Debt Coalition Iloilo Chapter, Dakila, Global Shapers Community Iloilo, and Youth First Initiative – will tackle important election issues that we think the youth should consider in choosing our country’s next set of leaders.

Below is the program:

Join us!

#PHVote: Iloilo’s #TheLeaderIWant is open to the public. Those interested to take part in the forum need to sign up in the eventbrite link below. Registration starts at 1pm. 

We also invite participants to sign up in the #PHVotechallenge upon registration for a chance to win amazing prizes! – David Lozada and Gerard Lim with Rappler Research/Rappler.com

If you have any questions, please contact David Lozada via david.lozada@rappler.com or Raisa Serafica via raisa.serafica@rappler.com.