Kabataan Party-list aims to seat 1st youth sectoral representative in Congress
February 6, 2007
‘Love’ filled the air in the Commission on Elections this morning as dozens of members of Kabataan Partylist hugged and kissed to show the youth’s love for country in its bid to break yet another record by electing the first youth sector representative in Congress this May
Wearing red shirts and face paints, some three hundred members and supporters of Kabataan Partylist led by the party’s 27-year old president Raymond Palatino formally filed the party-list’s manifestation of candidacy to participate in the 2007 elections.
“If the Philippines wants to regain the world’s kissing fest tilt, the Filipino youth is also gearing up for its own campaign to set a new record in Philippine politics by placing the first youth partylist in the Lower House,” Kabataan Partylist president and 1 st nominee Raymond Palatino said.
Palatino added that the group staged its Love-VOTE-Palooza to symbolize and show the youth’s love for country as shown by its commitment to vote and participate in the upcoming elections and choose leaders with credibility and integrity.
He said his group’s own ‘kissing fest’ comes with the youth’s call to curb election-related violence and aims to foster peaceful campaign period and elections.
If ever, Palatino said this will be the first time for the youth sector to have its own sectoral representative in Congress. He added that the last time the Legislature had representatives coming from a youth political party was when Wenceslao Vinzons and Arturo Tolentino’s Young Philippines won seats in the Philippine Assembly.
“The youth’s participation in the upcoming elections through the partylist system is a reaffirmation of the youth’s vanguard role and leadership in social transformation and nation building.”
“In this time of corrupt governance and political instability, the nation needs young, vibrant and innovative minds that will restore integrity and morality in governance and lead the nation to genuine progress and social change.”
With its new brand of politics – politics of hope, struggle and change – Palatino said the participation of KABATAAN Partylist “will usher in a new era for Philippine politics, away from the kind of leadership that traditional politicians and dynasties have for the longest time instilled in government.”
“These coming elections, we vote for honest officials, for principled leadership and for change. Now more than ever is the time fo r the youth to be involved.”