U.S. Chapters of AnakBayan celebrate Kabataan Party-list securing a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives
April 24, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reference: Jeff Rice, AnakBayan Seattle, email: edjop82@gmail.com
U.S. Chapters of AnakBayan celebrate Kabataan Party-list securing a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives
The chapters of AnakBayan in the United States are celebrating the historic victory of the 1st youth representative to the Philippine Congress held by the Kabataan (Youth) Partylist. The position will be held by 29 year old Raymond Palatino who was once chair of the University Student Council of the University of the Philippines Diliman and president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines. This comes after the Philippine Supreme Court overturned a previous decision on partylist elections and now allows for a full representation from the 2007 elections. In addition to the Kabataan partylist, the decision has now increased the progressive block in Congress with an additional seat for both BAYAN-MUNA and Anakpawis.
The Kabataan Partylist ran for Congress in 2007 and garnered 225,000 votes based on a platform opposing tuition fee increases, supporting increased funding for education, creating adequate jobs for new graduates, promotion of genuine national industrialization, agrarian reform and pro-people economic policies. Its campaign was supported by its founding organizations, the National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, League of Filipino Students and AnakBayan along with other allies nationwide and abroad. In the US, BAYAN-USA and chapters of AnakBayan launched a “TEXT B.A.C.K. (Text Brigade Against Cheating and Killings)” campaign to encourage Filipinos in the US to vote for and support progressive partylists. However, the Supreme Court at the time limited the number of seats for partylist winners including the one for Kabataan. The Supreme Court has now reversed that decision due to the need for more representatives to counter the US-GMA regime which rabidly insists on Charter Change.
Once in office, Kabataan will immediately submit legislation concerning youth empowerment in governance, employment for the 900,000 new Filipino graduates, and tuition fee hike moratorium, among others. Kabataan will now have a stronger voice to advocate for the youth in fighting for a better society devoid of corruption, inequality and social injustice. They will continue to be vigilant and vocal against issues of electoral fraud, corruption and plunder, human rights violations, tyranny and the root causes of poverty, hunger and indecent living conditions to the people. The need to uphold national sovereignty is all the more pressing with thousands of US troops in Bicol due to the VFA and the Philippine government colluding with the US government in overturning the conviction of rapist Daniel Smith.
It is all the more important to have a youth voice in Congress during this economic crisis of imperialism. With the current crisis caused by the overproduction of goods and services, the bursting of the US real estate bubble and greed of financial services, it is necessary to have a voice in the congress that opposes further orientation of the Philippine economy to low-value exports and more foreign exploitation of its natural resources. It is Filipino youth who are the future of the country and clamor for national industrialization & genuine land reform to create jobs in the Philippines. The Filipino youth have always played a pivotal role in ushering in significant changes in history whenever the social, political and economic conditions in society became too intolerable to endure. It was young men and women who prevailed in the fight against Spanish colonialism, US colonization, Japanese fascism and who toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and ousted the Estrada regime in 2001.
As Filipino-Americans, Kabataan Partylist serves as an inspiration of what young Filipinos can accomplish. The US chapters of AnakBayan will also continue to advocate for young Fil-Ams and to be the voice for our local communities. In the US, Filipino youth have often been in the forefront for social change. Young Filipinos, including Carlos Bulosan, in the 1930’s & 40’s unionized in the salmon canneries for better working and living conditions. Filipino-American youth in the 70’s organized into the KDP to fight against the Marcos dictatorship as well as struggling for civil rights in the US. Today there is the need for Filipino youth to further organize in local communities, schools and colleges around immigration reform, cuts to social services, tuition increases, joblessness, gang violence, police brutality, military recruiters, domestic violence, homophobia and racism.
The current crisis has exposed the need for a new generation of Filipinos and Filipino Americans to struggle for the world we want to live in. It is the youth who can fight to change their society into one with social justice and respect for human rights and dignity. We congratulate Kabataan Partylist for holding high the torch of social change by the youth at a time of global crisis.
MABUHAY ANG KABATAAN PARYLIST!
MABUHAY ANG ANAKBAYAN NG US!
STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHTS OF FILIPINO YOUTH!
JUSTICE FOR REBELYN PITAO AND ALL VICTIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS!
SURFACE KAREN EMPENO, SHERYLN KADAPAN AND JONAS BURGOS!
END BALIKATAN EXERCISES!
US TROOPS OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES NOW!
JUNK VFA NOW!
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April 23, 2009
PRESS STATEMENT
Kabataan, tayo ang pagbabago.
Message of Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino to the Filipino youth on the historical event of seating the first youth representative in Congress
Five years in the making for the country’s sole youth sectoral party-list, but better late than never and victory is still sweet for all Filipino youth.
Kabataan Party-list, the largest youth party in the country, represented the youth sector in the 2007 elections. It was the second time for our organization to run in the party-list elections. In 2004, we ran under our previous name, Anak ng Bayan, and were among the top choices for party-list based on pre-election surveys. Anak ng Bayan, however, fell prey to massive cheating. A significant number of our votes were anomalously counted in favor of another party-list group, thus our change of name in the 2007 party-list elections.
Despite not winning, we went on with our advocacies and continued to carry on with our principles and general program of action with the help of our founding organizations, such as the National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, League of Filipino Students and Anakbayan and other supporters nationwide and abroad.
Now, five years after our first electoral bid, Kabataan Party-list has finally secured a seat in the House of Representatives per SC GR No. 179271, promulgated April 29, 2009.
Now, we are happy to convey the message to all Filipino youth that the SC Resolution, in effect, has once again marked the youth’s rightful place in history by granting the first ever youth sectoral representation in the House of Representatives.
This is truly a historical event and we share this resounding victory to all Filipino youth who voted for and supported Kabataan Party-list. We are overwhelmed but more than ready to take on the task and challenge of being the sole voice of the youth in Congress.
We are youth from different walks of life. We have long-ago advocated for the youth to devote its intellect, energy and courage to building a better society devoid of corruption, inequality and social injustice. We are youth that foster active participation in nation-building, good governance and change.
In this junction in history in light of our recent victory, we, the youth, are change. Kabataan, tayo ang pagbabago.
We will uphold, promote and defend the interests of the youth to be able to harness our potential as a vital, albeit marginalized, sector in society.
The Filipino youth have always played a pivotal role in ushering in significant changes in history. We have always been at the forefront of uprisings and revolutions every time the social, political and economic conditions in society became too intolerable for Filipinos to endure.
It was young men and women who prevailed in the leadership and membership of the revolutionary army and other patriotic forces against Spanish colonialism, against US colonization, against Japanese fascism and against the puppet regimes in the Philippines.
It was also the Filipino youth who were the biggest marchers and rallyists during the historical First Quarter Storm of 1970, the people power uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and once again in the similar uprising that ousted the Estrada regime in 2001.
We are more than willing to take up the cudgels our forebears left us. Right now, a rotten system of governance and a severe global economic crisis confront us but we rise to the challenge of our times.
In the past eight years of the Arroyo administration, the youth has also always been amongst the most vigilant and vocal against issues of electoral fraud, corruption and plunder, human rights violations, tyranny and social injustice causing poverty, hunger and indecent living conditions to the people.
While we recognize that one year is too short a time in the House of Representatives, we pledge to work tenfold to efficiently and effectively bring our new brand of politics to Philippine government. To be able to fully realize this, we appeal to all Filipino youth to work hand-in-hand with us. We reiterate the need for active youth participation in nation-building and continue to rely on the strength and unity of the youth movement to reinforce our sole youth voice in Congress.
We will immediately register our opposition against charter change and join moves by other progressive party-lists to disqualify human rights violator Ret. Gen. Jovito Palparan from assuming party-list representation.
We are also now consulting with youth from different sectors to aid in our plans to immediately submit for legislation bills concerning youth empowerment in governance, employment for the 900,000 new graduates, and tuition fee hike moratorium, among others.
Finally, we look forward to bigger things that lie ahead in the future. It is the Arroyo administration’s last year in office and the youth are anticipating and working for significant changes come 2010. As early as now, we pledge to work for a transparent and clean 2010 elections that will realize the youth’s clamor for good governance and change. We are set to embark on a nationwide youth voters’ registration and education campaign in the aim to collectively mobilize the broadest number of young Filipinos to register, vote, and guard the 2010 ballot.
Change is bound to happen if and when the youth strives for it.
Kabataan, maraming salamat!
Kabataan, tayo ang pagbabago.
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Rep. Raymond Palatino, the first youth sectoral representative in Congress
An education graduate of UP, Palatino has been a prominent figure in various campaigns and issues concerning youth and students. He was convenor to several youth alliances such as the Education for All (e4all) Movement, Abolish ROTC, Tuition Refund, Youth Action Network against electoral fraud and violence, Youth Demanding Arroyo’s Removal (Youth DARE), Youth against Charter Change and Tyranny (Y-CHAT), Youth for Accountability and Truth Now (Youth ACT Now), and TxtPower, a consumer rights advocacy group, among others.
In 2004, Palatino was recognized by the Quezon City government for exemplary youth leadership and was awarded by the United Nations Association of the Philippines as an Outstanding Youth Leader for Advocacy on National Concerns.
Palatino also writes for several online publications, aside from maintaining his own web blog. He is a web columnist for tinig.com, former news editor of yehey.com, a contributing editor for Global Voices Online, and one of the leading members of Bloggers’ Kapihan, an online network of young bloggers. He has also been a regular resource speaker of both Houses of Congress on youth and education issues.
Palatino is also a proud father to his new son Neil Esmond, born a day after the issuance of the SC Resolution, and daughter Renee Elle, 4 years old. ###
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