Ano ang plano nila para sa Maynila? Local candidates to speak at Rappler election kapihan in Escolta.

MANILA, Philippines – At the historic urban hub of Escolta, candidates running for local positions in the capital city of Manila will gather for an elections forum organized by Rappler and its partners.

The “Make Manila Liveable 2025 Elections Kapihan” will be held on January 25, from 2 pm to 4:30 pm, at the FIRST Coworking Community, inside the First United Building in Escolta, Manila.

The kapihan will be a panel discussion featuring candidates running for mayor, vice mayor, district representative, and councilor in the City of Manila. Some candidates have already confirmed their participation. Do you want to hear from a particular candidate? Make yourself heard by voting for them in this online poll.

The entire event will be livestreamed by Rappler on our website and social media pages.

After the panel discussion to be moderated by Rappler community lead Pia Ranada and partners, there will be an open forum with audience members. Those watching the livestream can also send questions for the candidates through the Voter Hotline chat room in the free Rappler Communities app.

Do you want to be part of the live audience at the kapihan? Entrance is free but seats are quite limited. You can register here to attend. All attendees must have the Rappler Communities app in their phone. The app is free and gives you better and more meaningful access to our journalism and election updates!

A kapihan isn’t complete without coffee! Coffee will be available at the event.

Register for the event below:

After registration, please wait for an email from Rappler to confirm if you have secured a slot. Confirmation emails will be sent on Thursday, January 23.

Political participation begins in your backyard. For our 2025 Philippine elections coverage, we at Rappler want to help boost civic participation at the local level. What is local is immediate, relevant, and felt.

How we are governed by our mayor and governor, the laws proposed by our district representatives, affect us just as much, or at times even more, than the actions of our senators or other national leaders.

Hello, Marikeños! We’ll be in your neighborhood next. Save the date: February 9, in the evening. Our location is a