JANUARY 15, 2013

PLEASE CONTACT:
Krista Martin yvotephilippines@gmail.com 0916.613.9533

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YVP kicks-off Youth Voters Education and Empowerment Campaign through SAFE 2013
YVP (YouthVotePhilippines), a national alliance of youth groups pushing for active and informed youth participation in elections, kicked off its 2013 voters education and empowerment campaign by joining the recently held SAFE (Secure And Fair Elections) Unity Walk and Inter-Faith Rally 2013 last January 13. The occasion, which marked the beginning of official election calendars, was spearheaded by the COMELEC (Commission on Elections), DILG (Department of Interior and Government) and PNP (Philippine National Police) in partnership with other government and non-government organizations, citizens and civil society groups including NAMFREL (National Citizens Movement for Free Elections), PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting), DOJ (Department of Justice) and YVP. The unity walk, which called for cooperation from all sectors, began at the Quezon City Hall and ended at the Quezon City Memorial Circle with an inter-faith prayer and pledge for a secure and fair May 2013 elections.

Unit 1110 Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center 1600 Pasig City Telefax: (632) 634-1334 Email: yvotephilippines@gmail.com FB: YouthVote Philippines Twitter: @yvoteph www.youthvotephilippines.com

Waving flags with the line: Status Change: Register.Vote.Be Involved , YVP delegates to the Unity Walk challenged all sectors to cooperate to make the countrys 2nd automated elections a success. Darren J. Gonzales, YVP Core Team Member, had this to say about the unity walk and the importance of the Filipino youth: The Filipino youth are looking at 2013 as an opportunity for the country to show that we can do elections right. Maraming magagandang nangyayari sa bansa nitong nakaraang 3 taon pero kulang pa. Isa sa pwede pang pagandahin ay ang ating eleksyon. YVP has lined up several national and chapter activities for its campaign for voters education and empowerment from now until June 2013. Using YVPs successful 2010 online-offline strategies, these activities will be visible on the internet, through social media, and in on-theground actions and information dissemination. Activities will include voter education on the process of automated elections and safeguarding your vote like BantayPCOS, youth empowerment workshops like MyPop and MyVote, and volunteer opportunities for all youth groups to help COMELEC in May 2013. YouthVotePhilippines is an alliance pushing for a 2013 issue-based elections, using the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as a framework, a baseline measure of human development. It is also a call-to-action for Filipino youth to become engaged and involved in nation building. It aims to develop online and on-the-ground programs and events that will give young Filipinos the power of the vote and a clear voice for their collective aspirations. For interested youth groups and volunteers, kindly contact YVP through its social media pages in Facebook (www.facebook.com/youthvotephilippines) or in Twitter (@yvoteph). #

Unit 1110 Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center 1600 Pasig City Telefax: (632) 634-1334 Email: yvotephilippines@gmail.com FB: YouthVote Philippines Twitter: @yvoteph www.youthvotephilippines.com