Aimed at fostering awareness and vigilance regarding the upcoming elections, ABS-CBN has partnered with Saint Louis University (SLU) through the University Information Office (UIO) for the conduct of the fact-checking workshop titled “Halalan 2025: iTsek ang Boto” on 28 January 2025.
The workshop, held at the Audio-Visual Room of the University Libraries, Charles Vath Building, SLU Main Campus, gathered around 50 Louisian student-participants from various SLU Schools and school publications who participated in discussions about the electoral process and the significance of voting.
Ms. Dabet Panelo, the Chief Content Aggregator and Training Officer for the citizen journalism arm of ABS-CBN News, Bayan Mo iPatrol Mo (BMPM), introduced the term epal in the context of Philippine elections.
Epal is a derogatory term used for politicians who habitually associate their name and/or likeness with government-funded projects or politicians who conduct premature campaigning. Politicians who are epal take the credit away from taxpayers, violate the rules on fair play, and promote patronage politics, said Ms. Panelo. She also spoke about looking for community stories, which is the scope of BMPM. “It is important to talk about what happens within our communities,” she emphasized.
Ms. Panelo’s talk then delved further into fake news and disinformation, where she introduced fact-checking tools that can be utilized in seeking the truth. These tools include advanced search engines, reverse search for images and videos, website forensics, geolocation, and checking AI and metadata. Her tips highlighted the importance of being informed citizens, which helps in making informed decisions.
Meanwhile, the Junior Program Officer for Training and Capacity Building of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), Mr. Khaled Lutian, discussed various electoral issues like disinformation as well as the abuse of state resources and campaign finance. He also emphasized the importance of the youth’s participation during the election season and encouraged students to volunteer for election watchdogs like LENTE.
During the workshop, ABS-CBN, through Ms. Panelo, awarded a plaque to Saint Louis University, received by Atty. Johanne Margarette R. Macob, Director of the Office for Legal Affairs (OLA) and the University Information Officer. The said plaque was awarded to the University as ABS-CBN’s partner in promoting peace, clean, and orderly elections.
Further, the Commission on Elections (ComElec) Baguio team gave reminders about the upcoming general elections. They demonstrated the usage of the new automated counting machine and highlighted its advantages over the old version. Student participants were able to get first-hand experience in filling out mock ballots and inserting them into the election machine, simulating the process of voting.
In collaborating with ABS-CBN and ComElec Baguio, SLU remains steadfast in its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). (Article by Katrina Garcia, UIO Volunteer | Photos by Christler Jan Ebue, UIO Volunteer)
