LEADERS of several sectoral organizations, all affiliated with the Political Officers League of the Philippines, have decided to revive a party identified with the late King of Philippine movies, Fernando Poe Jr.
They call it FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist. And they had in mind FPJ’s grandson Brian LLamanzares as one of the coalition’s nominees. Llamanzares is son of Sen. Grace Poe. Mother and daughter campaigned long and hard for FPJ, a presidential candidate in the 2004 elections.
Leaders of youth, solo parents, farmers, women and senior citizens groups came from different provinces and major cities when they attended and expressed solidarity in a press conference led by POLPhil in Quezon City on Friday.
They came together as they announced their readiness to forge an alliance and support the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist to advance in Congress the meaningful laws that would address and protect the welfare of the masses.
Rico Cajife, POLPhil, Sogod Southern Leyte, said they were pleased to know that FPJ Panday Bayanihan has a similar program to achieve food security, lift the degraded situation of the marginalized sector out of poverty and to give justice to all, not to a few.
According to the POLphil’s statement, which Cajife cited, the organization was founded in 2018 at the initiative of former activists, development workers, and sectoral leaders with the goal of meaningfully taking part in politics to contribute to national development.
POLPhil has long been looking for champions, “particularly young leaders who can make changes that will directly improve the condition of the majority of Filipinos who remain in poverty.
FPJ Panday Bayanihan envisions to become an “effective sufficient, dynamic organized Filipino community” where the “Filipino bayanihan spirit” of compassion and nation building is present, especially in the “promotion, advancement, and protection of the well-being and in the spirit of service to secure and ensure that food, progress and justice be served to the Filipinos.
In the statement, POLPhil recalled that during the 2004 election, FPJ garnered great support from the Filipino people from their recognition that the FPJ program was tailored and responsive to the welfare of the poor.
FPJ lost to incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Still, FPJ had instilled in the hearts of many Filipino people who was a hero in their lives.
The people recognized the roles in FPJ played in films, always the defender of the poor and the oppressed, living the life of sacrifice, and struggle of the common man in achieving justice and breaking the chains of poverty.
Representing the student sector of POLPhil, Alvin Acebereche said that the youth continued to face a number of problems in the education, such as lack of quality of education, minimum budget allotments, government budget scarcity and the growing rate of out-of-school-youths due to the extended schooling after graduating high school.
Acebuche said the goal in having dialogue and eventually form an alliance with the FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist, a group organized and led by Dr. Brian Poe Llamanzares, was to realize and address all the problems the sectoral groups listed.
LLamanzares provides hope for change in our country’s political culture, he said.
“We know even more that the partylist is advancing on food, poverty and justice runs parallel to the agenda of PolPHIL of Nation Building,” he said.
“We plan to hold more meetings with other youth in the community and schools to gather their unique opinions and suggestions as ready to be laid out in dialogue, dialogue with Llamanzares on the agenda of the youth and as a common agenda of our group and the partylist in preparation for the 2025 mid-term elections.
Acebuche acknowledged Llamanzares’ stance in a statement in an international magazine when Llamanzares encouraged young people to participate actively and act toward molding their future and utilizing their strength in a united voice.
“(Llamanzares) designed to be able to promote social causes and developed out of passion,” he said.
The majority of young people have never used their fundamental right to vote, which is actually the best method to ensure that your causes are taken up at the table of decision-makers, according to Acebuche, quoting Llamanzares.
