Filipino Young Liberals Elect First Woman President
2008-09-16

New Young Liberal Leaders Sworn In: Headed by Congresswoman Mitch Cajayon, the New KALIPI President and Jan Argy Tolentino, YLDA and KALIPI Secretary General, the new sets of officers take their oath of office from Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza.

Following their trailblazing tradition of creating spaces for Filipino youths to take a more active role in politics, members of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas (KALIPI) once again proved their path breaking feats by electing for the first time a woman president.

Elected to the position is Congresswoman Mitch Cajayon of the 2nd District of Caloocan City and also the youngest member of the Liberal Party contingent in Philippine Congress.

"I consider it a privilege to be a member of KALIPI, which I see as a proud and historic organization. Hence, to be asked to lead KALIPI is an honor I fully embrace," Rep. Cajayon said after her oath taking as the new President of KALIPI.

Other notable liberal youth leaders elected during the Congress are: Jayjay Suarez, Chairman; Von Valdepeña, Vice Chairman; and Jan-Argy Tolentino, Secretary General. Jan Argy is concurrently the Secretary General of the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA) and Vice President of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY).

Speaking in behalf of YLDA, a long-time partner of KALIPI, Jan Argy sees unlimited growth in the working relationship of the two liberal youth organizations. As Secretary General, he also relayed the congratulatory message of YLDA President Rajendra Mulmi, which speaks of the YLDA-KALIPI partnership as becoming "more vibrant and stronger than ever" with the election of new sets of officers.

The YLDA President also recognizes that KALIPI "has always been the pillar of strength of the liberal youth movement in the Philippines" and "YLDA stands proud to have it as a steady partner in the region."

The KALIPI 6th National Congress was held from 6-7 September 2008 at the Imperial Suites Hotel, Tomas Morato, Q.C., Philippines.

Garda Bangsa Garda Bangsa was formed in 1998 following the successful political reform spearheaded by students and other campus activists to depose the tyrannical regime of President Suharto. The organization was founded by Abdurram Wahid, a former adviser of President Suharto who resigned following an escalation in government corruption and political management by the administration. He championed "Responsible Openness" within the government system and proposed the establishment of a Reform Committee in order to mitigate poor governance within the administration. His calls were left unheeded and so he eventually withdrew support for the government and joined the efforts advocating for reform in the government. Read more...