Environmentalism, gender equality, politics, and war. These are just some of the topics tackled by Woke Up PH, a weekly podcast created with the intention of keeping today’s Filipino youth informed on current, relevant, and pressing issues.
The podcast aims to address people’s disinterest and apathy toward issues they cannot understand or do not see the relevance of. “Our goal is to layman-ize these issues, explain its relevance, and create a call-to-action,” says Katrina Lim, Woke Up PH’s public relations manager.
“We Want to get them Woke.”
The mission of Woke Up PH is clear and simple: Get young Filipinos "woke." Many of them are now in important and influential positions in government and the economy.
Woke is a colloquial term used to describe someone who is aware and actively attentive to important issues and facts, especially concerning social injustice.
“There are 22 million youth voters aged 18 to 30. The youth is a powerful block in the elections. They’re the ones who set the trend on who wins and who loses,” says James Jimenez in one of the episodes of the podcast.
According to Woke Up PH, young people have a constant need to find purpose and relevance. “It is our goal to keep the youth engaged with social issues by showing how these impact them and how they can likewise impact society,” says Lim.
Each of their episodes has four goals: to educate people on social issues, to address people’s disinterest and apathy, to layman-ize issues, and to create a call to action. The podcast’s producers believe that some issues tend to be convoluted and complex that they need to be simplified and explained in a modern and creative medium.
Some of Woke UP PH’s Lineup Woke Up PH has an impressive lineup of guests who talk about pressing issues that are their areas of expertise. The following are some of its featured episodes:
1| An Alternative State of the Nation with Philip Dy
Philip Dy is the Chief of Staff of Vice President Leni Robredo. He talks about the state of the nation and the opposition, and how the vice president has transformed her office into an active agent and contributor to addressing poverty despite having a meager budget and being ousted from the Cabinet. “She didn’t want to spend six years just doing ceremonial functions —cutting ribbons, giving speeches —those sorts of things,” says Dy.
2| The Power of the Youth Vote with James Jimenez
James Jimenez is the spokesperson for the Commission on Elections. In this episode of the podcast, he talks about how the youth tipped the results of the 2019 midterm elections. Jimenez admits that the youth is a very powerful group of voters, but need to get their act together in terms of voting as a block.
3| #GustoKoLangUmihi: The Trans Community and Trans Rights with KaladKaren Davila
Jervi Li, more popularly known as KaladKaren Davila, shot to fame in 2017 when her video in which she was impersonating Karen Davila while crossing a river went viral. She is a transwoman who is now a regular host of ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda and The Voice of the Philippines. In this episode, she talks about state of LGBTQIA+ community, and sheds light on the plight and rights of the trans community.
4| Why the Marawi Crisis is Far from Over with Samira Gutoc
Samira Gutoc is a journalist, environmentalist, and legislator. She was also a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, but resigned in 2017 after President Duterte joked about allowing soldiers to rape women. In this episode, Gutoc talks about how people from Marawi are still suffering two years after the Battle of Marawi.
Episodes of Woke Up PH are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
