This month’s youth-led campaigns on election awareness and internet safety

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that “we cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” Global challenges such as the coronavirus, climate change, as well as local issues, like poverty and poor governance in the case of the Philippines, all affect the future. These issues force the younger generation to grow up faster and be among society’s main agents of change.

Indeed, today’s youth has developed a better sense of responsibility and has become more antagonistic against phobias and discrimination, chauvinism, violence, racism, and all other injustices.

The youth, because of the internet and perhaps the guidance and experience of the previous generation, are becoming increasingly aware of the problems of the world, and so they fight for what they believe in. And when youth leaders and organizations push for an advocacy, others follow suit. 

In celebration of the National Arts Month, the National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA) leads the 17th Lasallian Arts Month, encouraging young artists to boost engagement with the youth for the 2022 national elections.

Highlighting the critical role of the youth and the importance of a rightful stand for the coming presidential election, the “Makinig sa Tinig: Maki-alam, Makibahagi, Maki-isa” is a month-long event that aims to utilize art and culture as a medium for change.

Fronting the campaign is Benilde Culture and Arts Unit (BCAU) of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB). The affair kicks off with an online community gallery featuring a collection of poetry, digital illustrations, and ekphrastic artworks, which depict the Filipinos’ longing for peace.

Through the pieces, audiences are prompted to practice their right to suffrage and to vote wisely. The community gallery is available on view via benildecultureandarts.com. 

Internationally lauded and award-winning student-artist groups including Coro San Benildo and Karilyo Shadowplay Collective will also have virtual performances.

Coro San Benildo will run Coromantiko, an open verse TikTok challenge that will immerse the spectators in love, loss, and brokenness through music, which begins on Monday, Feb. 21, on tiktok.com/@corosanbenildo.

Setting the stage for creative performances is Young People Power. Each number promises to be a movement that would urge the youth to be civically engaged and to cast their votes in the upcoming elections. This will go live on Friday, Feb. 25 on facebook.com/cultureandarts.benilde.

Meanwhile, just last week, multi-awarded folk-pop band Ben&Ben launched their new song “Mag-Ingat (Be Safe Online)” to promote digital responsibility. The nine-piece act collaborated with Google to produce the song, which is part of the tech giant’s mission to spread awareness on internet safety.

The two-and-a-half-minute Filipino song addresses online threats from scams to misinformation and catfishing. It emphasizes the significance of critical thinking and verifying information using trusted sources to protect oneself and others. It also reminds netizens to be wary of bad actors, contentious individuals, who lurk in the online space.

This newest single from the young band ends strongly with a bridge conveying that online safety is a shared responsibility—people are all stewards of the digital world. It is up to us to use the internet right and care for the online safety of one another.

“Filipinos are highly social people and most of us interact with one another digitally. In such a world, it’s no wonder that while the internet brings so many advantages, it also opens us up to many dangers if we are not careful enough. With ‘Mag-ingat,’ we wanted to use our music to spread awareness on such a timely and important issue,” says Miguel Benjamin of Ben&Ben. “Because all of us are responsible for making sure that the internet is a safe and positive space for everyone.”

Google’s holistic approach to digital responsibility has been helping out millions of people to stay safe on the internet. Aside from security measures including the two-step verification process, and security and password checkups, it also introduced programs such as Be Internet Awesome with the Department of Education (DepEd), and supported nonprofit organization (NGO) campaigns such as the Cyberpeace initiative of Teach Peace Build Peace Movement.

“Internet safety is so important to Google. Beyond tools, products, and policies that enable us to help people stay safe online, we deepen our local partnerships to promote digital responsibility. By partnering with Ben&Ben and through their music, we believe that we can teach internet safety to more people in a way that deeply resonates with and becomes part of their everyday lives,” says Mervin Wenke, head of Communications and Public Affairs for Google Philippines.

Multi-awarded folk-pop band Ben&Ben has launched their new song ‘Mag-Ingat (Be Safe Online)’ to promote digital responsibility.

The National Privacy Commission has expressed gratitude toward Google and Ben&Ben for creating the anthem that “will remind every Filipino who listens to it to ‘Mag-ingat’ and take steps into becoming responsible netizens.”

The “Mag-ingat” music video is available on Ben&Ben’s official YouTube channel, while the audio is also available on all digital music services worldwide.