An afternoon conversation about the national elections

The Loyola Schools (LS) is taking steps to engage the community to discern and make their choices in the 2022 national elections. Organized in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Social Development, the online 'Conversation on the 2022 National Elections,' held 7 March 2022, strived to encourage a deeper understanding and culture of civic engagement in the LS community. 

In her opening remarks, Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, Vice President for the Loyola Schools, stressed the importance of discernment in understanding issues and concerns on choosing the country's next leaders.

"It is a conversation between mind and heart and the spirit, and we can only do that if we have facts, and we have conversations among ourselves. And that is what we're trying to do here. When we talk about politics, a lof things come to our mind. We cannot move alone; we have to move as a community. This is an important time in our history, and we need to be involved in this because the effects here are long-term." 

The starting point of the conversation was the call of Fr Primitivo E Viray SJ, Provincial of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus, to "ensure that our choice of leaders serves the common good, particularly the best interests of the most vulnerable in society." 

The participants moved into breakout rooms to engage and inform each other of their thoughts on the nation's critical issues as it gears towards choosing the next president of the country in less than two months. During the plenary, participants shared their thoughts on the matter: from the function of disinformation fake news to how surveys should be seen, historical revisionism, and the possibility of a bleak future.

Dr Carmel V Abao, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, led the synthesis session, reiterating the need to continue the conversation:" Make it a practice to talk about the elections." 

This was echoed by Rizalino P Rivera, Vice President for Social Development.

"People need to communicate with one other, whether online or face to face. We have to continue the conversation and, more importantly, mobilize. It is not enough to talk about these things. We have to continue to fight—that is who we are."