Ako Mismo www.akomismo.org – making my commitments, taking our country’s progress into our own hands

Amidst the celebration of Pacquiao’s fight, I am even more exhilarated by a 1 minute video I first saw during the fight.

Quick info:

How to join AKO MISMO:
Visit the website at www.akomismo.org and make your pledge. Ako Mismo Links:

• About
• FAQs
• Contact
• Who is Behind Ako Mismo?
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Commitment Wall (as of May 7, login required) publicly viewable, May 7, 1:16pm

Where to get AKO MISMO dogtags:
Update (May 7): FAQs say dogtags will be available in “next few weeks”.
Update (May 30): The Dog Tags are coming (< — this page requires login) (Thanks mel for info)
Update (June 14):  AKO MISMO Dog Tag Day Posters; AKO MISMO Dog Tag Day Videos

• First public launch of Dog Tags:
  AKO MISMO DOG TAG DAY on June 12 at the Fort concert grounds in Taguig.
• “By July, dog tags will be made available in 400 Mail & More outlets nationwide for P40. Again, proceeds will go towards socio-civic and charity works that AKO MISMO is supporting. We will publish the amounts raised for each of our charities on this website.” – www.akomismo.org

How can I help?
Many ways to help in nation-building.

First, here’s the clip. Second (after the clip), let me tell you how I feel and what I think about this whole campaign.

What is AKO MISMO?

From what I’ve seen and read, AKO MISMO is a campaign.

It’s a campaign for Filipinos to take action towards helping the Philippines rise and move forward.

It’s a campaign to help instill the awareness in Pinoys to take action instead of complain or blame.

We each have a role in making our country great! Not just somebody else’s role.

It’s MY role! It’s OUR role to make the Philippines a great country!

(read what the www.akomismo.org website says about the campaign).

AKO MISMO – my own thoughts, my own words.

JM and I share the same feeling about seeing this video. Nakaka-pangilabot!

Frankly, the first time I saw the ad, I was half-expecting to see an endorsement for another politician.

Pero dehins, men!

This ad was about us Filipinos taking-charge!

This campaign is about us Filipinos taking responsibility for our beloved country and doing our share, each in our own way.

In an exchange of messages via Facebook, JM and I reminisced about our NAMFREL volunteer days.

That role of helping our country, that’s the feeling I’m feeling now!

And it’s so exciting finding out that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are taking a stand and making a commitment to help our country.

All star cast

Ely Buendia, Charise Pempengco, Maxine Magalona (and truly and strongly I feel Francis M is in there too!), Mon Fernandez, Efren (Kuya F, behind a kariton school ), Luis Manzano, a priest, a muslim lady, a medical technician, Angel Locsin, Arnel Pineda, a women’s rights advocate, a Pinoy Hollywood director, and more …

These are the people who captured and communicated, in this video, the commitment for our country! Ang galing! Ang galing!

The www.akomismo.org website

I visited the website just an hour ago. And I am overwhelmed! In a span of 7 hours, they’ve gathered 14,000 commitments on the wall of commitments from thousands of Filipinos.

My first commitment was to write about www.akomismo.org . And I’m doing it right now!

My excitement


Why am excited about all this?

I feel it’s the unity of EDSA revolution
on an individual level,
and with the common awareness of each other’s commitment,
and the awareness that we’re in this together!.

Let me just write in bullets.

• It’s about time! It’s about time we Filipinos band together and take action in making our country rise!
• The timing was perfect! At a time when Manny Pacquiao takes to the ring and makes the Filipino proud and united – perfect time for the Filipinos to take this to the next level.
• Nakaka-pangilabot! I watched the video again and again and I know this is big.
• I pray to the good Lord that this campaign will touch the hearts of millions of Filipinos the way it has touched me!
• Is this a tipping point for the Philippines?
• Where’s Gang Badoy and Rock.Ed Philippines? Are they involved? Get them involved! This is a campaign that Rock.Ed Philippines has been doing for many years. “No more excuses, Philippines!” “Tama na reklamo, kumilos nalang tayo!”  They have much to contribute in helping in this campaign. Include http://www.onetama.com/ as well!
• I see there are thousands of commitments already on the commitment wall. I see people committing to be a better Filipino, to committing to not litter, committing to pray for the Philippines, committing to join volunteer work, committing to make a video for Filipinos etc.
• This wall of commitments is powerful! It sends a powerful message that “I will do my part” to help our country and thousands more are doing their part! Powerful!
• I see that some of these commitments come from people who didn’t understand what they were writing (e.g. “ako mismo ang mag-search”, “ako mismo kakain na ako”, “ako mismo web developer”, “ako mismo sign up”)  — these obviously came from people who didn’t understand that what they were writing was going to be published in the form of a commitment on the commitment wall. The website must help people understand better what committments we are looking for.
• What I fear is that people might start vandalizing the commitment wall with kalokohan. I’ve already seen some bordering on kalokohan. The web-administrator of www.akomismo.org better be ready for attacks like that. We can’t avoid that there will be people who will try to ruin a good thing.

• Where can I get the Ako Mismo dog tags!? I want to wear it, and I will wear it proud!

Now what!?


My action steps:

• Commitment #1: write about www.akomismo.org — done
• tell my friends about it — done
• get an ako mismo dog tag – done (june 12)
  
• sign-up for more commitments — ako mismo ang gagawa ng sarili kong commitments! — done ; But wait, there’s more!

Bloggers unite! Link-lovin for this AkoMismo campaign …

• Carlo Ople – New Media, doubts and concerns, deconstructing
• Karla Redor – Rocker’s World
• Ka Edong – Technobiography
• Joey Alarilla at CNET Asia (Yey!) , Life as a Catalyst
• PinoyBlog ni Boyet
• Martin Perez – Web Activism or Sugar High
• renn.poshqueen.us
• Bikoy.net (a dissenting opinion)
• Doc Angelo – Beyond Toxicity
• Juned – Baratilyo.net
• Anton Diaz – Our Awesome Planet
• The Coffee Chic
• Starmometer – Kapuso and Kapamilya Stars Unite in ‘Ako Mismo’ Advocacy
• Flickr Discussion by Dirthman
• Bob Ong – BobOng PinoY
• Tristan Cafe
• Tropang Spider
• MineBurst
• Buzz Express
• Ramon Fernandez on Multiply
• alteredaura – Free Radicals
• Maver – Gossip Gehl
• Jhay Rocas – The Four Eyed Journal
• Otep – Libre lang mangarap
• Purpose Driven Paul
• Arnold Gamboa – Resurgenc 2.0
• Gang Badoy – abashet
• faintless
• Super Bong – The Philippines and Beyond
• Bry  – Constant Random Change
• Jolly Life
• Inquirer.net Blogs
• Da Brighter Side
• Judd Sta Maria
• Noemi Dado – About My Recovery
• Lawrence Villegas – A Practical Magician’s Post
• Reyjr – Born on a Syzygy

comment below or send me an email and I’ll add your link to this list: ka_edong at edwinsoriano.com

Microblogs / Forums / Discussions

• Plurk
• Twitter
• PhilMUG
• CandyMag.com
• TipidPC.com
• The Digital Pinoy
• PEP
• Tsikot

Find more blogs about Ako Mismo:

• pledges to “blog” on Ako Mismo commitment wall
• More “Ako Mismo” blogs via Google Search
• TopBlogs’ “Ako Mismo” roundup

Related links:

• Similar campaign: OneTama http://www.onetama.com/ — I like how they track “doing action” and “completed”! Galing!
• Edu Manzano announced this pala last month: Edu Spearheads “Ako Mismo” (April 23, 2009 on PEP).
• Article on ABS-CBN News Online – PLDT Chairman denies he’s running in 2010
• Inquirer: Smart denies owning patriotism campaign site
• ABS-CBN News: ‘Ako Mismo’ campaign questioned over privacy

ka edong
ako mismo ang kikilos para sa bayan

Disclosure here. Past life here, present here.

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