A coalition of student organizations urged the Filipino youth to register for the 2022 national elections, saying that their voices must be reflected on the ballot.

Young First-Time Voters said they cannot just wait for the elections to arrive given “the long agony” that Filipinos are experiencing especially amid the pandemic.

“The Duterte regime has given us a failed pandemic response, an economy in an unprecedented crisis, a human rights catastrophe, with our sovereignty constantly violated by foreign powers,” the coalition said.

As young people who are eager to vote in 2022, they said that one year is “too long for this regime to continue plunging the nation” from one crisis to another.

“Duterte’s reign of terror must end. It must happen soon. We cannot wait one more year. To save the nation and our future, Duterte must resign and allow the Vice President to take over the urgent tasks leading the nation amid the pandemic,” it said.

“This will also minimize the threats of fraud and repression that are expected from the Duterte camp in 2022. For the sake of the nation, Duterte must go,” it added.