GMA’s Eleksyon 2016: Empowering the Filipino voter

Over the past years, Filipinos have dominated various social networking platforms, becoming the most engaged users globally.

From throwing their support for their favorite love teams to taking stands on various issues, Filipinos have made it clear just how impactful a simple Facebook status, a single tweet, a candid photo, or a short video clip could be.

And as the country prepares to elect its new leaders on May 9, GMA News and Public Affairs is all set to deliver the most comprehensive coverage of Eleksyon 2016 — not only on TV but through its game-changing social media projects as well.

Early this year, GMA worked with instant messaging app Viber to launch a special Eleksyon 2016 Sticker Pack. As Viber users download the sticker pack, they are also able to follow the GMA News Viber Public Chat where they gain access to election updates directly from the network’s reporters themselves.

GMA also partnered with social network giant Facebook. Filipinos, as we all know, remain to be heavy users of this networking site. Data show that there are currently 49 million Filipinos on Facebook. From Nov. 20, 2015 to April 20 this year alone, 15.2 million Pinoys have participated in election-related conversations on the networking site, which, in turn, generated 137 million interactions.

Last April 23, the Para Po Sa Bayan: The GMA-Facebook Jeepney was launched. What’s great about this initiative is that it married traditional and cultural references to the Filipino culture and the technology that Facebook provides to online users.

A first of its kind interview series, the GMA-FB Jeepney took FB users to where the VP candidates were during the campaign period. Using Facebook Live, GMA News’ Raffy Tima interviewed each candidate on board the jeepney. The questions came from FB users, but people who happened to be near the jeepney also participated. A 360-degree behind-the-scenes footage was also shown on FB.

Come May 9, GMA News and Public Affairs’ social media teams are in full force for the #Eleksyon2016 coverage.

Expect GMA to be present not only on Facebook and Viber, but also on YouTube, Twitter, FireChat, Instagram and Snapchat. GMA News currently has 6.8 million fans on Facebook and 4.3 million followers on Twitter.

On Facebook, GMA News’ page will broadcast live video updates from the GMA Network Center, as well as news reports from the field. GMA News will also hold a Q&A session with election resource persons where netizens can actively participate in.

GMA News’ citizen journalists YouScoopers will be tapped in the election coverage, too. Some of the submitted photos and videos will be posted on GMA’s social media accounts and even possibly shown on various Kapuso newscasts.

The GMA-FB Jeepney will also go around key places in Metro Manila to get up close with Filipinos who want to share their stories in relation to their voting experience. These interviews will be streamed via Facebook Live.

Using image messaging app Snapchat, GMA will publish snapshots of election activities from the newsroom to the field.

GMA is also set to launch #DigiDokyu, a series of short documentaries that aims to incorporate mobile journalism in its election education campaigns, on Election Day. Here, the spotlight focuses not on the candidates but on the various individuals and their respective roles in this election.

There will also be a social media hub inside the GMA Network studio, where reports and complaints from citizens will be monitored.

At the same time, GMA News Online, powered by GMA New Media, will publish the partial and unofficial election results on its website. Results, both from the national and local elections, will be shown as soon as these are available. Netizens will be able to see the number of Election Returns (ERs) processed from the data provided by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), as well as the voter turnout as of a specific time.

GMA News Online will once again offer the “Smart Search” feature, too. The “Smart Search” allows users to search for a specific candidate, place, or position to view the election results. The website also makes it easier for you to track your favorite candidates. You can mark your favorite candidate and you will have your own page where all candidates you have tagged are found; along with their count and rank.

Finally, GMA News Online will show statistics in terms of number of interactions surrounding the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates coming from Facebook and Twitter.

Beyond the hashtags and creating trends, there’s no doubt that social media has become a game-changer. This was what GMA News and Public Affairs had in mind when it rolled out its Eleksyon 2016 projects.

The Philippines’ broadcast news authority aims to further empower the Filipino voters both through TV and social media so that, in turn, they can make the right decisions for this country’s future. Dapat Tama!