#InformedTogether PROJECT PROPOSAL I. Executive Summary #InformedTogether is a month-long, weekly seminar that aims to inform, persuade, and educate the Youth about the pressing issues that hinder the development of democratic institutions in the Philippines. This seminar will highlight the principles of democracy and its key issues and in turn, provide citizens with information that would empower them to participate and promote good governance and democracy in the country. II. Rationale The Philippines is the oldest democratic nation in Southeast Asia. However, its democratic institutions have been under attack and have been on a decline these past few years. From the proliferation of political dynasties, patronage, and weak political parties that have plagued its political system ever since the creation of its republic. To extrajudicial killings, condemnation of press freedom, and red-tagging that constrains democratic rights and liberties. These old and new issues the country faces are nevertheless products of the under-institutionalization of democratic institutions and values that should be the core of a democratic government. The Economist Intelligence Democracy Index (2021) ranked the Philippines 54th out of the 167 countries; it classified it as a “flawed democracy.” Although, threats to democracy have increased during the pandemic due to world leaders enforcing an authoritarian rule in managing the impact of the virus. However, according to Atienza (2022), the enforcement of military action was not the only reason behind the ranking. These past few years, the Duterte administration has concentrated too much power and influence on the government to the point where it undermines the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary. The U.N human rights council and Amnesty international have already condemned the actions of the Duterte regime for its blatant disregard of human rights, stating that the administration should be accountable for violations against the rights and liberties of the victims. Aside from the authoritarian rule of the Duterte regime, there is also the growing concern about the incoming president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with its tandem, incoming vice president Sarah Duterte, daughter of the current president Rodrigo Duterete. During Martial Law, over 50,000 persons were arrested and detained from 1972 to 1975 (Amnesty International 2022). During the tenure of Duterte, various instances of historical revisionism were imposed, such as the late dictator being granted a hero's burial despite the atrocities the Marcos family had committed against the republic. With his son Bong Bong Marcos Jr being put into power again, various human rights groups feared that justice for the victims of the Martial Law would never be attained. Arguably, the comeback of the Marcos family and the proliferation of other socio-economic & political issues is a product of weak political accountability. As a critical aspect of democracy, the people should be able to oust and judge leaders if they commit crimes and overstep their boundaries. However, due to our weak political climate, our bureaucratic government's checks and balances are now tainted with oligarchic influences and nepotism. In addition, the political machinery these political elites use not only captured the vote of the masses through patronage and clientelism but also their favor. The amount of fake news that spreads black propaganda and disinformation on social media greatly influences the view of the people to the point that it blurs the line between truth and falsehood. According to BBC (2022), in their interview with a self-confessed social media “troll,” they purposely created a disinformation eco-system by creating social media pages that eventually push propaganda in favor of their clients, usually politicians. The Philippines is one of the most social media-rich countries; thus, it is not new that politicians tend to use social media to gain traction against their opponents. During the 2022 election season, Meta and Twitter suspended hundreds of accounts that were reported for spam and manipulation. The contents of such accounts usually share videos and posts about the era of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos as the “golden era,” discrediting the human rights violations committed during his time and the red-tagging of civic activists. Nevertheless, with all these present issues in place, the probability of having an authoritarian regime is likely to happen if there is no proper democratic accountability. Thus, there is a need to develop the people’s political knowledge to strengthen democratic institutions and promote good governance so that these threats to democracy will not escalate any further. III. Solution To promote and strengthen democratic institutions amidst all these issues mentioned, there is a need to help people understand the gravity of the country's situation for them to act accordingly. #InformedTogether aims to provide a platform for people to discuss and develop their political knowledge through a seminar that tackles the key issues that constrain the development of democracy in the country. In this respect, the seminar will be able to nurture and instill democratic values in its attendees that they would eventually share with their fellow citizens. IV. Deliverables Deliverables: Description Target Day: Seminar Topic 1 This topic will discuss the proliferation of fake news on social media. It would also tackle guides on how to identify factual information online. 1st Saturday of the Month This topic will discuss the 2nd Saturday of the Month “Tama o Mali? Disinformation and Fake News on Social Media” Seminar Topic 2 “Mga Problema atbp: Oligarchs, Dynasties, & Corruption in the Philippines” Seminar Topic 3 “Ano ba ambag ko? The importance of government accountability and democratic institutions” Seminar Topic 4 “Sino ang pipiliin mo? How to choose the right leaders during elections.” V. history and structure of Philippines Democracy and how this affects our bureaucracy. This topic will discuss the different forms of accountability in a democratic government and the importance of promoting good governance. 3rd Saturday of the Month This topic will discuss the structure of elections and share guides on choosing the right leaders to vote for. 4th Saturday of the Month Success Criteria: The success criteria for the seminar are as follows: ● A minimum of 1,000 attendees. ● A positive survey result on the implementation of the seminar. ● A minimum of 30,000 Social Media Engagements. VI. Plan or approach To successfully implement the seminar and its goals. We would be collaborating with different schools and community organizations in the Philippines to help us attain the minimum no. of participants mentioned in our success criteria. As per the guest speakers and facilitators, the organization will be the one to scout speakers with expertise on the said topic so that the participants can ask questions after the seminar, ensuring the credibility of the answers that they get. On the other hand, the facilitators will be members of the organization that underwent leadership training so that they could effectively provide proper guidance to the participants regarding queries and clarifications. For the seminar venue, we would implement a fully online learning system for the participants. Although the government is now transitioning to going back to face-to-face classes, having an online seminar allows us to have the flexibility to accommodate more attendees from different places in the Philippines. The seminar will be primarily held in a Zoom Meeting, but it will also be broadcast on IPSDI’s official Facebook page to cater to those that don’t have a Zoom application. The timeline for each topic during the seminar will be as follows: Time Activity 1:15 pm - 1: 30 pm ● ● Zoom Room Open Loopers with Reminders Wait for other Attendees ● ● ● Pre Hosting Host/s Introduction Ice Breaker/Games Topic & Speaker Introduction 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Discussion 3:00 pm - 3:45 ● 3:45 pm - 4:00 pm ● ● ● VII. Day Q&A Portion Host/s will facilitate the Q&A Post Hosting Giving of Certificate of Appreciation to Speaker Picture Taking Distribution of Attendance Sheet Schedule Duration Activity Deliverable/s 21 Days Collaboration with schools/organizations & scouting of speakers ● Acceptance Letter 1 Day Seminar Topic 1 ● ● Group Picture Attendance Sheet 1 Day Seminar Topic 2 ● ● Group Picture Attendance Sheet 1 Day Seminar Topic 3 ● ● Group Picture Attendance Sheet 1 Day Seminar Topic 4 ● ● Group Picture Attendance Sheet 7 days Develop Campaign Report ● 3-page report References: UN Report Cites No Accountability for Philippines Extra-Judicial Killings, 7 October 2021, https://www.voanews.com/a/un-report-cites-no-accountability-for-philippines-extra-judicia l-killings/6261082.html. Accessed 11 June 2022. Trolls, Disinformation Make Philippine Election Coverage a Challenge, 7 April 2022, https://www.voanews.com/a/trolls-disinformation-make-philippine-election-coverage-a-ch allenge/6519577.html. Accessed 11 June 2022. Atienza, Kyle Aristophere T. “Philippine democracy remains flawed amid pandemic.” Business World, 11 February 2022, https://docs.google.com/document/d/10D_euW9qlsuXEIzzap_v7whGQsI1VIjE6OTtwmK MWBs/edit. Atienza, Kyle Aristophere T. “PHL slumps to lowest press freedom ranking in 8 years.” BusinessWorld Online, 5 May 2022, https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2022/05/05/446508/phl-slumps-to-lowest-press -freedom-ranking-in-8-years/. Accessed 11 June 2022. Devlin, Kayleen, and Micaela Papa. “Philippines election: 'Politicians hire me to spread fake stories.'” BBC, 7 May 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-61339293. Accessed 11 June 2022. “Five things to know about Martial Law in the Philippines.” Amnesty International, 25 April 2022, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/04/five-things-to-know-about-martial-law-in -the-Philippines/. Accessed 11 June 2022.
