Inspirational Views

By Niña Terol-Zialcita

Last year I published a list of “7 Resolutions You Can Do for the Philippines While Sitting Down.” This being a new year, a new decade, a great round number, we’ll expand our list a bit to 10.

We learned in 2009 that the Internet and social media have become VERY powerful tools for demanding transparency, accountability, and better service from our public officials. What was once hidden and private (i.e., the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex video scandal) was ripped wide open and escalated to the level of a Senate investigation. When the worst storm in decades hit our country, we used our mobile phones and social media to help send rescue and relief where it was most needed. (We also discovered that Metro Manila had only 13 lifeboats to use for emergencies!) When the forces of evil attempted to bury their monstrous deeds with a backhoe, a mobile phone helped avert what would have been the biggest, most horrifying cover-up of that decade.

Now, with the ubiquity of Internet access, WiFi-enabled mobile phones, and cheap computers, we have absolutely NO EXCUSE to not be online. Here’s how we can make the most of it this year.

1. Make the most of FREE information online. Researching for information online is not only useful if you’re a student. It’s also great if you want to get ahead in your job, scout for business or freelancing opportunities to earn more cash, earn a scholarship abroad, or be a better parent, or simply make your daily life a bit better with self-help and self- or home-improvement tips.

   Some websites I love in this department: ChangeThis, TED, WhyNot? Forum, Entrepreneur Philippines, EntrepBuff, Hungry People, BabyCenter Philippines, ParenTIN.tv and The Daily Om, just to name a few.

2. Be in the know. While it can be fun to be updated on celebrity chismis, it’s even better to be in the know when it comes to current issues. It makes you look smarter and increases your rankings on the social strata. PLUS, it helps make you a better and more responsible citizen.

   Some blogs and websites you can check out are: Blogwatch.ph, PCIJ, Good News Pilipinas; the blogs of Jim Paredes, Manolo Quezon, and Ricky Carandang; and Philippine Blog Awards winners and finalists such as Virtual Journals , The Professional Heckler, TonyoCruz.com, and Pagod Ka Na Ba Maging Si Juan.

   If you’re on Twitter (and you SHOULD be), follow these Twitterers for great updates and insights: @ancalerts, @inquirerdotnet, @gmanewstv, @mlq3, @jimparedes, @juliusbabao, @parenTIN, @momblogger, @mindanaoan, @gangbadoy, @wheninmanila, among many others. Scout around the Twitter universe and find your favorites.

3. Be a more vigilant citizen. Use your social networks and your mobile phone to help others in times of need and also to report government irregularities. Nowhere was the power of Pinoy social media more apparent than during the onslaught of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. Twitter and Facebook became our means of connecting to the authorities and of asking for urgent supplies and services. Google Spreadsheets became en vogue as people learned how to use a database to input and track life-saving information. Now that we have learned some very humbling lessons from this experience, plus a few horrifying ones from the Ampatuan massacre, let’s use what we’ve learned to more responsible and more responsive netizens.

   After all, the Internet is the epitome of a truly democratic and empowering social space. Why not translate our online experience to help build a more democratic and empowering Philippines?

4. Know more about the 2010 candidates. Speaking of democracy: there’s the May 10, 2010 elections. With so much at stake for our family’s and country’s future, let’s not just rely on ads and our current perceptions in deciding on whose name to shade in our electronic-friendly ballots. Browse the candidates’ websites to get in-depth information about their profiles, use Google search to see if they’ve been involved in any scandals or corruption cases. Read blogs to see what other people think. Read online news to see where your candidates stand on certain issues. Know their platforms. Know about their history and character. Know about the people around them.

   Canvass for a candidate in the same way you canvass for a great mobile phone—know its features and benefits, know how it can help make YOUR life easier, make sure there’s a connection between your values and the candidate’s platform, and make sure you’re electing someone who’s sulit in the long-term. (You don’t want someone who looks good now but who is actually unreliable and untrustworthy.)

   Some candidate portals to check out are: Political Arena and YouthVotePhilippines.

5. Support a candidate (or candidates). If you’re sick and tired of the old trapo ways and the old trapo names, then help elect fresh faces with fresh insights backed by solid principles and track records. And since many of these candidates have neither the money nor the machinery to launch massive ad campaigns, then they will need the help of volunteers like US to gather much-needed resources and communicate their platforms to more people. Let’s remember: TAYO ang taumbayan, TAYO ang pagbabago!
6. Support a charity or a non-profit organization. Of course, there are so many more ways to help the country and others aside from politics. If you would like to get into changemaking work outside of the political arena, consider supporting the many charities and NGOs who help deliver basic services to people and communities who need them most. Choose an organization that demonstrates values and advocacies that are dear to you. My personal favorites are World Wildlife Fund (WWF), UNICEF, Jeepney Magazine, the Homeless World Cup and the street soccer program Futkal, and Pathways to Higher Education. You can also check these websites for more organizations that are worth supporting: Ayala Foundation, Just Give, and Global Giving, among many others.
7. Know more about other changemakers and what you can do to help them. In 2009, Efren Peñaflorida gained global recognition when he won as CNN Hero of the Year. Efren and his organization, Dynamic Teen Company, have been working for years now to provide alternative education to streetchildren through their Kariton Klasrum project. There are so many more Efrens out there, so many more great people and causes to support. Know more about them (review Resolution #2) and find out how you can support their life-saving missions.
8. Help spread the good news! Here’s the easy part. Use your blog or your social networks to help spread the good news about Filipino changemakers and the impact of their work on other people’s lives. If you know of volunteer opportunities, repost or retweet for your friends to see. (Getting your friends involved can make changemaking more fun, too!) Use your Internet marketing skills to raise awareness and resources for a cause you believe in. Don’t be afraid to be an advocate—it doesn’t always cost a lot, and it can help bring more fulfillment into your life.
9. Junk the junk. While you’re busy online and not having enough time to walk or work out, remember to skip the junkfood. Not only will you help yourself by staying away from unnecessary fat and calories, you’ll also help save the planet by consuming less plastics and non-recyclable packaging. (Makes A LOT of sense, doesn’t it?)

   And, finally…

10. Get off that chair! Remember that real life is meant to be LIVED. You’ll have more to blog and Tweet about, more experiences to share, if you’re actually living your life to the fullest. So get out there and meet more people, do actual volunteer work, explore the Philppines, pick up a good book (one with actual pages), or have social conversations with friends. You’ll find that a life well-lived will always be much more interesting than a life lived from the sidelines.

While you’re at it, HAVE FUN and HAVE A GREAT CHANGEMAKING YEAR AHEAD!

(Niña Terol-Zialcita authors the blogs Changemakers Philippines and The Art of Changemaking. She is a political communicator by day, a poet by night, and a social advocate everywhere else in between. Find out more about her on www.ninaterol.com and Twitter.)

 

Related posts:

1. Pinoys online deliver victory for Pinoy CNN Hero
2. 10 Things We’d Like to See More of in 2010
3. Google, STI offer free websites to RP MSMEs

 

 

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