To honor Ninoy's sacrifice, register and vote – Sen. Kiko
By AJ Siytangco
Published Aug 21, 2019 10:02 am
By Mario Casayuran
The best way to honor the memory and sacrifice of the martyred Senator Benigno ‘’Ninoy’’ Aquino is to register and vote.
Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan (Photo from Kiko Pangilinan website / kikopangilinan.com / MANILA BULLETIN)
Opposition Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said this as the country honored on Wednesday, August 21, the late senator’s 36th death anniversary.
“Ninoy Aquino was one of the most exemplar statesmen this country has ever seen. He, and a handful of his colleagues, stood up against dictatorial rule. His assassination was a turning point in our democracy. We are enjoying our freedom now because of their sacrifice,” Pangilinan said of his fraternity brother at the Upsilon Sigma Phi.
“That’s why we must exercise these hard-won rights. We can only choose our leaders if we register,” he said.
The ongoing registration of voters will be until September 30.
An estimated seven million young people, with ages 18-34, are not registered and so were not able to vote in the May 2019 senatorial elections.
“Our Otso Diretso (senatorial) candidates won in the mock polls in many campuses nationwide. They could’ve won if these young people were able to register,” Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan said he wants junior and senior high school students, normally 17- and 18-year-olds, to learn what it means to be a citizen, to participate in nation-building, to be empowered, and to hold people accountable.
Pangilinan, president of the opposition Liberal Party (LP), seeks to institutionalize this in Senate Bill 636, the Compulsory Voter Education Act of 2019, so that young people will learn and understand political and electoral processes, and “lay the foundation for revitalizing Philippine democracy.”
“We believe strongly that the youth vote can make or break elections. An empowered youth is a critical voter, and will be able to elect public leaders that are credible, worthy, and are with accountability,” Pangilinan said.
Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan (Photo from Kiko Pangilinan website / kikopangilinan.com / MANILA BULLETIN)
Opposition Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said this as the country honored on Wednesday, August 21, the late senator’s 36th death anniversary.
“Ninoy Aquino was one of the most exemplar statesmen this country has ever seen. He, and a handful of his colleagues, stood up against dictatorial rule. His assassination was a turning point in our democracy. We are enjoying our freedom now because of their sacrifice,” Pangilinan said of his fraternity brother at the Upsilon Sigma Phi.
“That’s why we must exercise these hard-won rights. We can only choose our leaders if we register,” he said.
The ongoing registration of voters will be until September 30.
An estimated seven million young people, with ages 18-34, are not registered and so were not able to vote in the May 2019 senatorial elections.
“Our Otso Diretso (senatorial) candidates won in the mock polls in many campuses nationwide. They could’ve won if these young people were able to register,” Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan said he wants junior and senior high school students, normally 17- and 18-year-olds, to learn what it means to be a citizen, to participate in nation-building, to be empowered, and to hold people accountable.
Pangilinan, president of the opposition Liberal Party (LP), seeks to institutionalize this in Senate Bill 636, the Compulsory Voter Education Act of 2019, so that young people will learn and understand political and electoral processes, and “lay the foundation for revitalizing Philippine democracy.”
“We believe strongly that the youth vote can make or break elections. An empowered youth is a critical voter, and will be able to elect public leaders that are credible, worthy, and are with accountability,” Pangilinan said.