As the election campaign period begins, TV5’s 2016 election coverage goes into high gear with the launch of Bilang Pilipino, Ano’ng Say Mo?. This engagement with Filipino voters on today’s election issues brings the country’s leading media giants: TV5, PLDT, Voyager, Meralco and Smart together in a nation-wide drive to educate Filipino voters on the policies and concerns that are important to know as they go to the polls on May 9, 2016.

Guest Speakers Architect Paulo Alcarazen, Urban Planner Karima Palafox with TV5 President and CEO Emmanuel C. Lorenzana

To kick-off “Bilang Pilipino, Ano’ng Say Mo?”, a symposium was conducted last February 05 at TV5 Studio 4 in Reliance, Mandaluyong City which drew a crowd of opinion makers, social media influencers, and Bilang Pilipino partner employees. It was a remarkable event that made #BilangPilipino one of the top trending topics on Twitter that day. Focus of the discussion was on Metro Manila’s worsening traffic problem that was thoroughly discussed by well-known UP Professor and Architect Paulo Alcarazen and Urban Planner Karima Palafox. The two experts traced the root causes of traffic congestion in the metropolis and other urban centers in the country as well as its impact in the lives of Filipinos and its possible solutions. Highlighted was the need for long-term solutions that the next Philippine President has to embark on to address the threat of urban gridlock that will make Metro Manila “uninhabitable” within four years according to some observers.

Despite the fact that it will definitely take years for the nation to solve the traffic issues, Palafox emphasized that now is the best time for the Philippine government to find ways on how to encourage motorists to get out of their cars when it’s possible for them to walk; fix the imbalances in the cities through affordable housing projects and the like; and for every Filipino to choose the common good – follow traffic rules and regulations and embrace the streets with equanimity. Likewise, Architect Paulo Alcarazen stressed that there is a need for inclusive mobility to solve traffic issues – cleaning and clearing are the first steps; reducing garbage and blockages in cities like Metro Manila; and creating more rails than roads.

Through Bilang Pilipino, TV5 joins the nation in its quest for better and more effective governance starting in educating and equipping Filipino voters with everything they need to know about the upcoming national elections. Get the latest updates on Bilang Pilipino campaign and Bilang Pilipino, ano’ng say mo? project. Visit http://bilangpilipino.com/ or follow TV5’s Bilang Pilipino on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BilangPilipinoand Twitter https://twitter.com/BilangPilipino.