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Clinton urges youth to fight corruption through social media


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encouraged Filipinos, particularly the youth, "to report corruption" through social networking at a town hall meeting in a Manila university on Friday before she ended her two-day visit to the Philippines.

Among the things that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded about the Philippine government was its efforts to fully automate polls. She urged the youth to become 'reporters of corruption' by tapping social media networks. GMANews.TV
She said technological advancements like social networking can be used to exact accountability from leaders, citing as examples the recent Twitter-triggered demonstrations in Iraq and Colombia. "We want to see governments held more accountable to their own people. There should be more transparency, more accountability... And I think the new technology provides for that," she stressed during a forum at the University of Santo Tomas. Clinton added: "We're trying to take the tools of the 20th century and apply them in 21st century diplomacy." She praised the Philippine government for working towards the full automation of the 2010 national elections, saying it was a "positive step for democracy." The Philippines will be the first country in Asia to shift from manual elections to automated polling, with the country's poll body expected to utilize some 80,000 vote canvassing machines. [See: US skeptical about Myanmar polls without Aung San Suu Kyi] Peace through dialogue During the forum, Clinton also emphasized the importance of resolving the decades-long dispute in the southern Philippines between the government and Muslim separatists. "There is [still] so much work to do in the Philippines," she said. She commended the government for deciding to go back to the negotiating table with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been fighting for a separate state since the 1970s. "I'm hoping conflict will be drawn to a close. But then there has to be a lot of dialogue," the former US First Lady said. "Negotiations to end conflicts and not to discourage them [negotiations] is very important," she added. Clinton reiterated that the US government continues to play a "supporting role" in battling insurgent activities, in response to allegations that US troops are engaged in combat operations in Mindanao, an act prohibited under the Visiting Forces Agreement. "We are going to continue support, where appropriate, in partnership and in pursuance of the friendship we feel for the people of the Philippines," Clinton said. 'Imperfect' state of human rights At the forum, Clinton also noted the human rights violations that continue to hound not just the Philippines but also other countries including the US, and emphasized the role of civil society in addressing the situation. "It [human rights situation] is not perfect here [in the Philippines] like it's not perfect anywhere. It's up to the civil society to make human rights an issue inside your own country," she said. There have been more than 1,000 victims of extra-judicial killings ever since Arroyo took office as president, and more than 200 cases of enforced disappearances, according to human rights group Karapatan. Militant groups have blamed the killings on the government, particularly the military, which have repeatedly denied the allegations. Clinton arrived in the country at 1 p.m. on Thursday and left the country before 1 p.m. on Friday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Singapore. [See: US Secretary of State Clinton arrives in RP, defends VFA] - GMANews.TV
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