Hopeful and with renewed vigor, the Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) elected its new roster of officers during its recently concluded National Executive Council Meeting. Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman was elected as President. The veteran opposition lawmaker has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1987 and has served a total of eight terms in the congress. He also served as its Minority Floor Leader and was instrumental in abolishing the death penalty in the country in 2006, among other bills he authored and supported.
Cong. Lagman was preceded by former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who was then elected as the Chairperson of the party. Sen. Pangilinan started his career as Quezon City’s youngest councilor elected from its 4th District. He served three terms in the Philippine Senate since 2001, where he authored and supported a total of 115 bills that were enacted into law. He is more famously known as the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act 11321 or the Sagip Saka Act. Sen. Pangilinan ran for the vice-presidential race in the May 2022 elections, with former Vice President Leni Robredo as his running mate.
Despite the several setbacks that LP experienced—from the mass exodus of former party members to navigating the hostile political climate since 2016—Cong. Lagman vows to take on the challenge of bringing back the luster of the party’s illustrious past. “Babalik tayo (We will return),” Cong. Lagman said, as he reminded their party members of what the party has been fighting for, “we shall relentlessly sustain and enhance the party’s enviable legacies of democratic liberalism, respect for the rule of law, protection of human rights, good governance, and accountability, progressive taxation, the campaign against despotism, and genuine people empowerment.”
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan highlighted LP’s gains leading to the 2022 National Elections, where the former senator underlined the party’s shift in focusing on recruiting ordinary citizens—working vigorously toward transforming LP into a genuine people’s party—resulting in the onboarding of over 10,000 members since they started the shift in 2016. To date, the Liberal Party has 165 chapters and organizing committees locally and overseas including the USA, Singapore, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hongkong, and Bahrain.
“We believed then and continue to believe today, that real political power emanates from the people themselves in their vast numbers at the grassroots, organized and mobilized and marching together in pursuing common goals,” Sen. Pangilinan said, “there are no shortcuts to transforming our politics, our communities, and our nation.” Undeterred by the results of the last election, Sen. Pangilinan urged its members to continue the work in building up the party.
Among the newly minted officers was former Quezon Province 4th District Rep. Erin Tañada who was elected as Executive Vice President; he started his political career when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2004. Cong. Tañada served three terms and took on roles as Assistant Majority Leader, Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, and Deputy Speaker. Former Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat on the other hand was elected as the party’s Secretary-General. He is an advocate of indigenous peoples’ rights and served Ifugao as its governor (2001-2004 and 2007-2010) and as its representative in congress from 2010 to 2019. He also ran for senator in the last national elections under the Angat Buhay slate. Former Rep. Kit Belmonte now serves as LP’s Vice Chairperson. He was the first elected representative of Quezon City’s 6th District and served two terms in congress. Rep. Alfonso Umali Jr. was elected as the party’s Treasurer; he is currently serving his second term as Oriental Mindoro’s 2nd District representative in congress. Iloilo Board Member Jason Gonzales was elected as Director-General. He was a councilor for Iloilo City and also served as mayor of the Municipality of Lambunao.
Small in numbers, far from insignificant
After the May 2022 national elections, LP has a total of 421 elected members (10 representatives, one governor, four vice governors, 26 provincial board members, 32 mayors, 36 vice mayors, and 312 councilors). Since the aforementioned mass exodus from the party after former President Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III stepped down from office, LP has been in the opposition facing a supermajority with their former allies in it. Cong. Lagman advised its members to remain steadfast in facing the challenges that they are up against, “members of the Liberal Party must not be cowed by fear of a dominant power or fettered by patronage. We must be freemen, insensitive to fear and immune to favor. We must be unafraid to manifest critical dissent.”
Despite the obstacles of having fewer elected members, especially in congress where the party fell short of securing a senate seat, Cong. Lagman emphasized that a hiatus is not an option for the party. “In fact, now is the time to perpetuate the legacies of LP. We may be small in numbers now, but we are far from insignificant. For what we lack in numbers we compensate with the unquestionable quality and excellence of our members,” he added, “we should strive to be even more relevant now that the present administration is led by the antithesis of democratic principles, integrity in public service, good governance, and accountability—the very principles upon which the Liberal Party is anchored.”
Sen. Pangilinan on the other hand, saw the unsuccessful fruition of their goals last election as only a delay of what is yet to come for LP. “We may not have reached our desired goals of victory in 2022,” Sen. Pangilinan said, but he then pointed out how the past campaign has ignited a fire that will never be extinguished in the hearts of millions of Filipinos—especially the youth who have awaken with sense of urgency and willingness to fight for their future—who have been yearning for good effective governance and accountable leadership.
Keeping the momentum toward 2025 midterm elections
“In my almost 40 years of political activism and election campaigns, I have never seen such a socio-political phenomenon witnessed by the entire country,” Sen. Pangilinan referring to the outpouring of support and volunteerism by kakampinks during the campaign for the May 2022 elections. The groundswell of support started even before the filing of candidacies, and during their sorties, people have gathered by the multitude in packed venues with thousands more watching livestreams online.
Many signed up to become volunteers and brought the message of the campaign house to house in their own communities. Artists contributed their talents, ranging from creative content that supporters could use as campaign materials for their own household and as giveaways, to creative outputs that can be shared online and pro bono performances with a lot of entertainers and influencers doing it several times around the sortie circuit. “It was an awe-inspiring people’s campaign that saw hundreds of thousands of our citizens going out of their way, spending their own time, talent, and energy to support the Angat Buhay candidates.”
“As your President, I am not ready to incant the requiem of the Liberal Party,” Cong. Lagman said, highlighting that the party and its members must strive to remain relevant and join in the effort in expanding their ranks. “We must unite and strengthen our crusade for sound, effective, and just governance and intensify our recruitment activities starting from the grassroots and concentrating on getting the support of like-minded political leaders.”
Much like Sen. Pangilinan’s remark on the youth’s role in the last election campaign, Cong. Lagman mentioned the importance of young blood in invigorating the party. “We must also prioritize the enlistment of members from college campuses, barangay youth leaders, and the ranks of young national officials,” he said, “we shall also seek and welcome the membership of kindred political leaders. We shall be open to alliances with groups and parties with the same ideals, convictions, and objectives.”
The party’s critical role
With social media being weaponized by fake news peddlers to systematically place doubts and question established truths, democracy is threatened to erode if disinformation is allowed to continue to proliferate in online digital platforms. In recent years, disinformation was not only used to target rival political figures; those who hold power to truth like journalists and the dissenting voices of activists have also become targets of internet trolls. Some of these perpetrators have also become so brazen that they have posted death threats among other intimidation tactics, and whether there was any real physical danger or not, the fear was real for those who have received them.
“We shall be at the forefront in fighting against oppression, repression, and tyranny,” Cong. Lagman said. “The party now plays a crucial role in defending freedom and human rights in our country,” Sen. Pangilinan added.
LP already had opened its doors to non-politician members in 2016 and it has found success in engaging more people to participate in politics. “We shall encourage and develop popular volunteerism. Volunteerism shall be central to our recruitment of new members,” Cong. Lagman said, “where and when public institutions fall short, volunteerism fills in the gaps, contributes remarkably to capacity-building, and enhances a person or a group’s sense of agency. Volunteerism allows communities the opportunity to contribute to their own growth, ensures social inclusion, and encourages civic-mindedness.”
This is the kind of volunteerism that kakampinks have shown at any given moment especially when an opportunity to help arise—big and small acts of kindness, from lending a hand during disaster relief operations or just by listening and understanding the struggles of a fellow Filipino who supported a different candidate.
Cong. Lagman also pointed out that, “the power of volunteerism does not stop there. It also raises awareness in others and has a ripple or contagion effect that inspires and motivates others to also volunteer.” And it has become evident during the 2022 National Elections that a lot, if not most, kakampink volunteers took on the challenge of countering hordes of online trolls and the disinformation they bring in every comment section. By holding the line where truth stops and the lies begin, kakampinks managed to convert non-believers and with a great story to boot. Capitalizing on this brand of popular volunteerism may prove critical not only in the chances of LP members winning the midterm elections, but also in keeping democracy alive and thriving.
Under its new leadership, along with new insights that can be used in achieving their goals in 2025 and beyond, LP and its members is ready to roll up their sleeves again and continue the work that needs to be done. There is still a lot of ground to cover in paving a path for LP to become a genuine people’s party and the challenges can only get steeper every step of the way.
To become a genuine people’s party, Cong. Lagman urged that members of the party should immerse themselves with the masses, to understand their struggles and find the means on how to lift their lives up. “We shall be partners in their aspiration for a better life. We shall be privy to their desperations. We shall be guardians of their inalienable rights. We shall champion the noble causes they have been struggling for.”
Sen. Pangilinan reminded everyone to draw strength from each other, from their leaders to their fellow members. “Kahit mahirap, tuloy ang laban para sa kalayaan, karapatan, at dignidad ng bawat Pilipino, (Even if it will not be easy, the fight for freedom, rights, and dignity of every Filipino continues). Being a farmer, I liken all our efforts to the sowing of seeds, and at the right time, a bountiful harvest shall be our reward.”
“We are free men and women who are committed to freedom and to liberate those who are oppressed and disadvantaged. We espouse a philosophy characterized by tolerance, fair-mindedness, honor, and justice,” Cong. Lagman said. He underscored the value of determination in keeping the light of hope alive, “we shall prevail; once we prevail, we shall endure; and when we endure, we become relevant; as we are relevant, we shall lead and be victorious once again.”
