IN THE bid to empower the youth in Bacolod City through voters’ education, a multisectoral movement will be launched Friday, October 22, 2021, by the Social Action Center (SAC) of the Diocese of Bacolod along with various local youth organizations.

SAC Director Fr. Chris Gonzales said the movement dubbed “Gugma Banwa” (Guban) is an inclusive, independent, loose and non-partisan coalition of various organizations and institutions.

They do not support any particular group or candidate and are not funded by anybody, he said.

Aside from promoting voters’ education among the youth, Guban also envisions and encourages participation in democratic processes before, during and beyond elections, Gonzales added.

A report from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed that 52 percent of the voting population is youth.

This is the reason why there is a need to educate the youth about the electoral process on top of the fact that they are the ones who are vulnerable to cheating and even vote dying, the priest said.

“We need to work hand-in-hand to achieve clean and honest elections,” he said.

Gonzales stressed that although Guban’s main target is the youth, they are also willing to involve the rest of the voting population.

Joining the diocese are the Bacolod Youth Coalition for Democracy (Bacod) and First Time Voters Network (FTVN).

Ken Paolo Ginlo, local coordinator of FTVN, said their group has conducted satellite pre-registration and voters’ education forums for youths in Bacolod City.

Ginlo said they want to help in the consolidation of efforts in educating the youth regarding the electoral process since their votes are vital in the 2022 elections.

Joining Guban is also in line with their group’s objectives to boost participation in the electoral process, he added.