Laguna Youth Discuss 2016 Elections in Rappler's "The Leader I Want" Forum

On February 1, 2016, MovePH continued its #PHVote: The Leader I Want campain in the Laguna State Polytechnic University (LSPU) gymnasium. The program focused on several of the country's issues to keep note of when considering who to vote for in the upcoming 2016 elections.

Guests for the event included Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa,who discussed the " The Leader I Want" campaign and showed the importance of being aware of the issues our country is currently facing when choosing our leaders, and MovePH Executive Director Rupert Ambil, who gave those in attendance a brief history of move.ph and then proceeded to discuss disaster preparedness in our country while showing several clips and images of the impact of typhoons in recent years such as the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. Ambil also stressed the importance of information during times of crises and how social media has helped shaped the way in which information is delivered today.

A panel discussion was then held with Mariz Achoy, Claire Cortez and James Andrew Malihan - all students of LSPU. The topic for this discussion was the concerns of the youth in Laguna. Several issues were brought up such as teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and education. These issues were then also discussed with Child Rights Governance Advisor Minerva Cabiles, who also focused on the issue of malnutrition in today's youth and the Save the Children program.

When one of the LSPU students present was asked what part of the forum left an impression on her, she quoted Rappler CEO Maria Ressa from her talk earlier in the afternoon saying, "Do not sell your vote because when you do, you are selling our future."