Aquino is first Asian head of state in Worldview dialogue series
MANILA, Philippines - Ordinary Filipinos will now have a chance to ask questions directly to President Benigno Aquino III when he participates in the Google-YouTube Worldview interview series on November 4.
Speaking before the YouTube Philippines press launch on Thursday, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said Aquino will be the first Asian head of state to participate in the Worldview series, which allows world leaders and luminaries to answer select questions from people all over the world during a live interview aired on YouTube.
US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero have all participated in the Worldview series.
People who want to ask questions to President Aquino can go to www.youtube.com/worldview. They can also vote for the question to be asked of President Aquino.
During the launch, Carandang said it is the Philippine government's hope that the localized version of YouTube and government channels will become instrumental in spurring the Filipino people to become more involved in governance starting with familiarizing themselves with the issues.
"In a time when it has never been easier to reach millions, even billions of people in a few minutes, the Filipino people can indeed be a powerful force. Armed only with your cellphones, you have the ability to report problems and relatively minor matters such as potholes on roads in your district to bigger ones such as the abuse of authority and corruption. You have the ability to tell the rest of the world you are being part of the solution," he said.
The Google-YouTube Worldview interview is being done in partnership with ABS-CBN's 24-hour news channel, ANC, and its news website, www.abs-cbnNEWS.com