PANGILINAN-LED media conglomerate MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. has launched “Bilang Pilipino 2025,” aiming to provide comprehensive media coverage for the midterm elections next year through its print, radio, television, and online platforms.
“The campaign aims to inform voters of what the candidates stand for and the roles of elected officials, and, as much as possible, to ensure the proper counting of the votes during the elections,” MediaQuest Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said during a ceremonial signing on Tuesday.
The Philippine midterm elections in May 2025 will open 12 of the 24 Senate seats. Filipinos will also elect leaders at the local level, including congressmen, governors, mayors, village captains, and other officials.
MediaQuest news organizations participating in the campaign include TV5 Network’s news and current affairs division News5, radio station Radyo5, and Cignal TV’s news channels One PH and One News.
The conglomerate’s Philstar Media Group, through The Philippine STAR, BusinessWorld, The Freeman, and Pilipino Star Ngayon, will also be involved.
These organizations aim to deliver expert insights on the country’s electoral process, according to MediaQuest.
MediaQuest and its news organizations signed a memorandum of agreement for media coverage and partnered with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas for ThinkAMuna Pilipinas, a media and information literacy (MIL) initiative that aims to empower Filipino voters with critical thinking skills.
“With MIL, we hope our people will discern credible sources from misleading or fake ones, separate fact from opinion, and identify biases,” Mr. Pangilinan said.
MediaQuest and Cignal TV, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jane Jimenez-Basas said the MIL advocacy is crucial. “It is really teaching people to be discerning, to be mindful, and to be aware that what they consume is actually not always true.”
“So bago ka mag-share, bago ka mag-like, bago ka mag-opinion, hinay-hinay, isip-isip, ThinkAMuna (before you share, before you like, before you give your opinion, slow down, think, ThinkAMuna),” she added.
Ms. Basas said that MediaQuest will be putting together a technical working group to help manage the social sites and programs.
“As a news organization, of course, we have the responsibility to bring factual and accurate news to the voting public,” Philstar Group and BusinessWorld President and CEO Miguel G. Belmonte said separately.
“[This is] to encourage them to exercise their right to vote and to help them also make that right choice in selecting their leaders for the country,” he added.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest, has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
