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Jimenez shares how K-pop, pop culture helped Comelec reach young voters


Who would have thought that Korean Pop, TikTok, and other pop culture interests could help the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reach around 4 million young people to register for the 2022 national and local elections?

In an interview with The Howie Severino’s Podcast, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez shared how his attraction to these interests helped him communicate with the young bloods and do his job as the poll body’s frontman.

“Just to focus specifically on Blackpink and pop culture, it allowed me to get in touch with people that normally wouldn't even pay attention to what I'm saying. Like for example, Tiktok. If I weren't open-minded about these things, I would be like everyone else and say Tiktok is so cringe. But instead, I embrace it, I try to speak that language and I'm able to communicate with people on that platform. And it's been very effective,” Jimenez said.

“I've basically converted people from not caring to caring, you know. From not planning to register to actually going out and taking an effort to register,” he added.

In September 2019, he said the Comelec is expecting about 4 million young people who will turn 18. These are all brand new registrants.

Surprisingly, Jimenez said, the number of brand new registrants has breached 4.3 million last week.

“As of last week, we were at 4.3 million. So by that measure, you know we've been fairly effective,” he said.

The 4 million brand new registrants only include those who just turned 18 and it excludes those aging 19 years old and above, Jimenez said.

Apart from using the influence of famous K-pop idols and the trending short videos on TikTok, Jimenez pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic was a major factor in these young voters’ decision to register.

“Nakikita ng mga tao na dahil sa pandemyang ito, basically, nako-connect nila 'yung kanilang right to vote doon sa service na natatanggap nila sa gobyerno. Naaalala nila na 'yung mga binoto nila noong 2016, 2019, ay 'yun 'yung inaasahan nila ngayon. So kung hindi maganda 'yung nakikita nilang performance, nako-connect nila roon sa election choices nila. And that mobilizes them lalo na 'yung kabataan,” he said.

(Through this pandemic, the public saw the connection of their right to vote to the services that they receive from the government. They remembered that they rely on those they voted in the 2016 and 2019 elections. If they see that they are not performing well, then they connect it to their election choices and that mobilizes them especially the youth.)

“‘Yung kabataan nating [agitated na agitated], sila 'yung nakakakita ng connection na 'yun. Nahihirapan tayo ngayon, ganito 'yung mga ginagawa ng mga halal na lider natin, maybe we can do better,” he added.

(These young ones are very agitated. They are the ones who saw that connection. They saw that we are suffering today because of what our leaders are doing, maybe we can do better.)

Moreover, Jimenez also gave credit to youth groups that are encouraging more young people to register for the 2022 polls.

So far, the poll body’s spokesperson said there are six very well-organized and very active advocacy groups run by young adults whom he said are also “sharing” K-pop stories when not talking about voter registrations.

“That is the tangible consequence of that. The fact that we can connect with them, the fact that we can identify with them, they can relate to us has allowed us to foster this working relationship. And like I said, it's a wonderful thing to see,” he said.

Jimenez also mentioned a website called magparehistroka.com. It is an online platform which provides information on how individuals can register in the nearest Comelec offices.

While there are youth groups that actively push for voters registration campaigns, Jimenez, on the other hand, observed "cynicism" in some young adults in social media.

“Just dip into social media any given day and you'll see people saying na 'Naku, walang choices, walang pinag-iba, sila na naman, kayo na naman (There are no other choices. The ones who are running are no different with the current ones. It’s just the same faces all over again).' And you feel that,” he said.

“Although social media is really just a snapshot of a larger society, the problem with social media is that it is such a strong influence on the youth, right? 'Yung kabataan for the most part 'pag nakita nila on social, napo-project na nila na parang ganyan na 'yung buong mundo and that's the danger that we're facing,” he added.

(These young ones, for the most part, they assume that what was projected in these social media platforms reflect the realities of the whole world and that’s the danger we are facing.)

The Comelec will be closing its voter registration period on September 30, 2021.

As of June 22, the poll body said there are at least 60 million voters registered for the 2022 national and local elections.—AOL, GMA News

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