In December 2021, the De La Salle Brothers of the Philippines underscored how crucial the national election in May 2022 is to the country as it seeks to rise above the social and economic plight brought on by the pandemic.
“The election of 2022 is not just about the choice of a new leader – it is about choosing the kind of future we want for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children. If there is anything this pandemic has driven home to all of us, it is that our survival depends on cooperation and solidarity, on new forms of “people power” rather than reliance on autocratic forms of governance which are insensitive to the rights of ordinary citizens, prone to abuse and corruption, and that rob individual citizens and civic groups of the responsibility to cocreate a just, humane, and prosperous society,” the Brothers said in a statement entitled "Discerning Our Future: The 2022 Elections."
They further reminded the community of the qualities needed in the next leader of the country, originating from the heritage of Catholic Social Teaching which is intended to guide all forms of public and political engagement.
“Voting is not just an ethical responsibility – in these difficult times, it is a prophetic task requiring us to challenge old ways of thinking that have led to the stagnation and squandered opportunities that are killing our very own people. If we are true disciples of Christ, discipleship must be exercised not just in how we pray but also how we vote, not just in how we vote, but how we strive to work together for a society that reflects the values of God’s reign. We are voting – not just for a leader – but for a future worthy of ourselves and our children. May these principles guide everyone in their discernment. We call on every Filipino voter to see and evaluate how each of our local and national candidates measure up to these non-negotiable ethical criteria. Let us not also fall victim to the factories of disinformation and misinformation campaigns,” the De La Salle Brothers underscored.
Voter Education: A DLSU-D Advocacy
In De La Salle University-Dasmarinas, voter education is an advocacy that is integrated into the University’s thrust towards Good Governance and Good Citizenship Education. It is not a seasonal campaign but rather, a comprehensive program that is closely linked with Lasallian Justice and Peace Commission’s (LJPC) thrust for Political Education towards Participatory Democracy.
“DLSU-D’s involvement to this kind of advocacy has been there all time because good citizenship and good governance education is also integrated to the different subjects, or lessons, in the university curriculum and not just the sole engagement to be spearheaded by the Lasallian Community Development Center (LCDC),” LCDC Lead Advocacy Officer Lorenzo Centino Jr. explained.
He added that the advocacy is promoted through different activities and platforms such as election candidates’ fora, seminars, social media postings, voter registration campaigns, election-related surveys, mock elections, activity integration to identified subjects, and most recently, the Lasallian Youth Caravan. When the pandemic hit, these programs continued through the use of online platforms.
According to Centino, the essence of voter education is not limited to reminding voters to make the right choices come election time. It is more than a trending topic on social media, and definitely bigger than a source of viral internet content.
“Voter education is constitutive to nation building, especially in educating the masses of their responsibility to be politically involved in nation building. At least, from that perspective, voter education is imperative in shaping what kind of future we want our country to move forward to,” he said.
Centino described voter education as a medium that seeks to promote awareness among Filipinos that the future of the country is something that cannot be left solely on the hands of elected officials.
“Shaping our future is everyone’s business. A business that requires informed choices in selecting the kind of leaders that possess the heart and will to realize the hopes and dreams of the people. Voter education is an indispensable tool for such need for an informed choice. Moreover, through voter education, the people are informed that good citizenship does not end in the exercise of the right to vote during election day. Rather, political participation is required from people which the voter education advocacy intend to promote and teach,” he said.
The danger in educating about anything political is being tagged as partisan. As an educational institution, DLSU-D is aware of this risk to its image.
In order to address this, the University always returns to its core values as it embarks on any projects related to its voter education advocacy.
"Just like the recent statement of the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines entitled “DISCERNING OUR FUTURE: THE 2022 ELECTIONS”, it does not endorse any political party or any specific political candidate. Thus, it is non-partisan, but it provides moral guidelines or ethical principles to consider in choosing who to vote for in the coming 2022 national elections. This statement is not based on any agenda to politically attack a candidate or a political party, but this is a result of the Lasallian Brothers’ prayerful reflection and discernment,” Centino expounded.
From the perspective of DLSU-D’s Voter Education advocacy engagements, the University hopes for the people to make informed choices that are based on ethical principles and the Social Teachings of the Church and not from fake news propagated by trolls in social media.
“Particularly, we hope that Lasallians, at least, will be guided by the principles laid down by the Statement of the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines in choosing the leaders in the 2022 national elections that can help us shape the present and future of our beloved nation that is presently devasted by a pandemic and perennially made to suffer by ineffective and corrupt politicians,” Centino concluded.