The May elections saw about 1.2 million first-time voters and 1.8 million Gen Z voters. But beyond the vote, the election process also became a platform for young tech students to take part in safeguarding democracy.
Thirty-one APC students from its Analytics and AI class, along with members of the Junior Philippine Computer Society, volunteered as NAMFREL’s analytics team.
Mentored by NAMFREL’s systems group and APC faculty, students handled real-time election data during the critical vote transmission window.
“This partnership gave our students first-hand exposure to the role of information technology in safeguarding the democratic process,” said Prof. Rhea-Luz Valbuena, executive director of APC’s School of Computing and Information Technologies.
“They gained not only technical experience but also learned about ethical decision-making, teamwork, and civic responsibility,” Valbuena added.
APC’s collaboration with NAMFREL is rooted in its project-based learning (PBL) approach, which emphasizes solving real-world problems rather than relying solely on simulations. For this initiative, third-year Computer Science and Information Technology students were organized into five agile teams with specialized responsibilities.
The dashboard team managed real-time data visualizations for stakeholders, while the machine learning team explored analytics to interpret voter patterns. The infrastructure team ensured operational uptime and tool deployment, and the quality assurance team conducted rigorous system testing. The cybersecurity team monitored and mitigated potential digital threats during the vote transmission process.
The election analytics operation was conducted from APC’s multi-purpose hall, temporarily converted into a live analytics hub for the event.
Dashboards and election insights created by the students are publicly accessible via elections.org.ph and namfrel-analytics-apc.org, supporting transparency for citizens and election observers alike.
“APC students are not just learning theories,” said Valbuena. “They are applying their skills in analytics, cybersecurity, and infrastructure in a real-world environment that carries national importance. It’s part of our commitment to prepare students for careers that impact not just industry, but the country.” —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
