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Ako Mismo advocacy for change in the Philippines taps Old and New Media

May 4, 2009 08:34

Amid the terrible deluge of commercials unleashed during the free TV broadcast of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton bout, one advertisement stood out and actually gave hope to thousands of Filipinos.

It's for an advocacy movement called Ako Mismo (which is Filipino for "I myself"), which drew attention because it was a beautifully made TV ad that saw celebrities, musicians and ordinary Filipino citizens uniting to share a common message: That each of us must pledge to do something ourselves in order to have genuine change in the country. It's not about waiting for the politicians to do something, or hoping that we'll one day be saved. It's about every citizen taking action today.

I'll admit I have a lot of questions on my mind and some degree of skepticism, particularly since you have to register on the site first before you can even view the About Us page. Filipinos have, in fact, been asking who it is behind this movement, and how he or she can afford to fund this slick Old and New Media campaign.

But I'm letting my idealistic side drown out the cynic in me for now, because I do believe in the message that Ako Mismo is sharing. While it may sound shallow, just to unite celebrities from two bitter rivals such as the two leading broadcast networks in the Philippines also gives me hope. Moreover, the ad did not feature any politician--and I'm really hoping this won't just turn out to be a political stunt, but a genuine movement for change.

To every Filipino, watch the video of the TV commercial posted on YouTube and decide for yourself.

Then check out the Ako Mismo site at AkoMismo.org. To register, you have to pledge what you yourself are going to do to help change the Philippines. Then you will receive an email or SMS confirmation.

I pledged to write about Ako Mismo on this blog and my personal site. And you know what? Even a relatively simple action like this can already lead to good things, because I was convinced to give my support after reading blogger Edwin "Ka Edong" Soriano's Technobiography post sharing why he signed up for Ako Mismo. In fact, that's where I viewed the Ako Mismo TV ad again via YouTube.

As of this writing, the site already has 19,446 pledges from Filipinos who have vowed to take action.

So, today, I choose to ignore the cynic in me. Today, I choose to take action. Today, I choose to do my share.

I myself. Ako mismo.

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