Plaza Miranda

The quarterly policy and opinion magazine of the Center for Liberalism and Democracy.

2022 Quarter 4

Tuloy Liberal

The People’s Party under new leadership

LP elects veteran opposition lawmaker Lagman as President, Pangilinan as new Chairperson

Hopeful and with renewed vigor, the Liberal Party of the Philippines elected its new roster of officers during its National Executive Council Meeting in Club Filipino on Friday.

The Party elected Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman as President and former Senator Francis Pangilinan as Chairperson. Among the newly minted officers were former Quezon 4th District Rep. Erin Tañada as Executive Vice President, former Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat as Secretary-General, former Quezon City 6th District Rep. Kit Belmonte as Vice Chairperson, and Iloilo Board Member Jason Gonzales as Director-General.

“Babalik tayo,” Cong. Lagman said as he vowed to continue the Party’s recruitment of nonpolitician members, especially from the grassroots. “We shall champion the causes that they have been struggling for. And we shall be the people’s party because we exist and endure for them,” Lagman said in his speech.

The former Party President and now Chairperson Kiko Pangilinan highlighted the Liberal Party’s gains leading to the 2022 National Elections. The former senator underlined the Party’s shift in focusing on recruiting ordinary citizens that resulted in the onboarding of over 10,000 members since they started the shift in 2016.

“We believe 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 goals,” Pangilinan said.

Former Vice President Leni Robredo in a video message reminded the party members to soldier on despite adversities. “Pero tiwala akong matatag hindi lang ang ating paninindigan kundi ang ating pagmamahal sa bayan, ang ating patuloy na pakikipaglaban para sa kalayaan at dignidad ng bawat isa. Sabi nga, ‘Sa kabila ng mga sugat, biyaya agad,’” she said in her message.

To date, the Liberal Party has a membership of over 400 elected officials and over 10,000 nonpoliticians all over the world. It now has 165 chapters and organizing committees locally and overseas including the USA, Singapore, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hongkong, and Bahrain.

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