ASEC. MALAYA TALKS ABOUT KALIPI

THE LIBERAL INSIDER 001

In remembrance of the founding of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas last August 21, 1989, Asec. Jonathan Malaya talks about his views on the most active political youth wing in the Philippines.




Credits:
Asec. Jonathan Malaya
Liberal Party National Headquarters
Podsafe Audio
G-Cast

Audio Clips:
OST Mission Impossible II
OST James Bond 007

Communications Officer: Robert L. Ramos
Podcaster: Donna M. Babadilla

AUGUST 21 PODCAST

The August 21 podcast is produced by Donna today; as shown in the sidebar.

"I did this for three hours with a five-sentence script and with me as the voice talent. It's actually a debut for me to produce a podcast all on my own. A lot of credit should be given to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for the free training I got from them with Mr. J. Angelo Racoma as the podcast trainor," Donna said.

24 days to go before August 21.

1989 KALIPI'S FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY

The trying times are over when the saving grace of the Liberal Party came into shape. August 21, 1989, with the aim of providing a venue for youth involvement in parliamentary struggle, serve as a training ground for young leaders, inculcate and deepen the understanding of liberalism among young people and build a strong youth movement that will transform the nature of Philippine politics, the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas was born.

KALIPI is composed of young patriotic leaders most from the so-called “young turks” of LP. It played a crucial role in Philippine politics, standing for the removal of foreign military beses, against coup d’ etat, lobbied for the creation of the National Youth Commission, fought for the Magna Carta for Students, the Kabataang Kontra Cha-cha and the Anti-VFA campaign.

From then on, the KALIPI remains and is acknowledge as one of the largest and most dynamic youth wings of a political party in the country today and continues to make itself relevant to its constituents among its various chapters by providing needed exposures and training.

See also: Kalipi website

25 days to go before August 21.

1983 NINOY AQUINO ASSASSINATION

August 21, 1983 marked a turning point in Philippine history. Fully aware of the risk, Senator Ninoy Aquino, LP secretary general, was returning from three years in exile in an attempt to restore freedom, sensing the deepening bankruptcy of Marcos’s rule that could lead to chaos and anarchy if left to further decay.

Then, a gunshot, - three more, then shouts. A jumble of figures running across the tarmac of Manila International Airport. Amid the chaos, two bodies lie dead on the apron. One is Ninoy Aquino’s body.

It became the spark that become the bonfire of the People Power Revolution and lighted the beacon of dawning democracy and freedom, not just for the Philippines but indeed for the whole world as movements for democracy that used the non-violent approach of People Power flourished in its aftermath.

After Senator Aquino’s death, many felt the promise of peaceful change had died with him. From one man’s sacrifices a nation was reborn in its commitment not just to democracy but to the other values we still struggle to institutionalize today: justice, equality, social formation and good governance.

26 days to go before August 21.

1971 PLAZA MIRANDA BOMBING

It was the day that the Liberal Party would come out at its strongest against the increasing-authoritarian society that President Ferdinand Marcos was leading the country to. August 21, 1971 was the tragic day of the LP miting de avance, when the country’s leading political figures would ascend the stage amidst a teeming crowd and deliver their points about the country’s top political concerns.

Everything was perfect on the stage in Plaza Miranda situated in Quiapo, where the leadership of the Liberal Party had gathered to lauched their candidates for the senatorial race, until one grenade was thrown toward the stage, instantly killing 30 people in the audience and on stage, including members of the media and Liberal Party’s major personalities. Tragic as it may seem, the Plaza Miranda Bombing became a shinning moment for the Liberal Party when it made a disgruntled citizenry vote against the increasingly-authoritarian regime of Marcos, electing nearly all the LP candidates to the Senate.

27 days to go before August 21.

WEEKEND MADNESS

One day has passed and it is a Saturday.

I'm getting mad. It's already past 10 in the evening and I'm still here blogging for the Agosto Bente Uno blog because I'm having this countdown craze. I should'nt miss a day counting down. What have we done so far? Hmmm... We've already passed the proposal for the grand celebration to Director General Eli Quinto. He must have read it by now.

30 days to go before August 21.

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

August 21... both a bleak and glorious date for Philippine Liberals as three events happened on different years that shaped the future of the Liberal Party:

• Plaza Miranda Bombing in 1971
• Assassination of Sen. Ninoy Aquino in 1983
• Founding of the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas in 1989

31 days to go before August 21.