1Sambayan Youth vows to push back on ‘elitist’ coalition claims

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The youth arm of opposition 1Sambayan coalition aims to enjoin the young to push for pro-people policies on the ground and counter criticisms of “elitism.”

1Sambayan Youth was launched on August 30, which also marked the National Heroes’ Day.

Since its launch, other chapters of the youth arm were unveiled in San Mateo town, Bulacan, Southern Leyte, Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University – Manila, Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas.

The arm’s lead convenor, Rae Reposar, said that their aim was to consolidate the youth sector for a “unified” force within and beyond the 2022 elections.

Reposar also added that since the main 1Sambayan coalition’s launch last March, they have been holding virtual discussions with youths across the country.

This has sprung into other chapters in Western Visayas, Bicol, and Cordillera regions, the cities of Olongapo and General Santos, and schools in the Ortigas area.

Reposar said they were able to convene 27 youth organizations based in communities and schools with up to 120 leaders, and will continue to do so in the next few months.

He also reiterated calls for the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to extend the voter’s registration, which is set to end on September 30.

“Our main goal is simple—we just want to consolidate youth. Given the power of the youth and the role we should play in the 2022 elections, it’s not enough for us to invite people to vote, it’s not enough that we invite to register people. It’s also equally important to make sure we empower and capacitate the youth to help us build the agenda and be the decisive force in the 2022 elections. Our vision is to be a well-coordinated and consolidated youth movement to build a progressive, inclusive, pro-people youth agenda, serve a decisive course, and hold leaders accountable beyond the 2022 elections,” Reposar said during the virtual launch program.

Deputy Convenor for Network Jason Anchores stressed the need to stretch youth concerns to issues outside of the university and participate in the upcoming “challenging” election.

He said that 1Sambayan Youth would aim to radicalize and synchronize efforts to organize, campaign, and encourage members of the sector as well as all other citizens to participate in the electoral process.

“We all recognize that the 2022 national and local elections will perhaps be the most important elections of our lives, most especially for the youth, since the next 6 years would be the prime. A lot of us will enter the labor force, some might even start families, pursue higher studies and we cannot imagine the next 6 years living like this,” Anchores said.

National Union of Students of the Philippines chairperson and 1Sambayan Deputy Convenor for Schools Jandeil Roperos highlighted the pandemic’s effects on the students, who have been struggling with distance learning modes.

Roperos said school-based chapters of 1Sambayan Youth will hold talks and consultations with student leaders in schools to build on the coalition’s youth agenda, and looking to make more chapters in other schools.

“We students are tired with this administration’s operation of the education sector. We want a government that would prioritize our right to safe, quality, accessible education amid the pandemic. The youth, as the hope of the nation, and as tomorrow’s heroes, they will be with us to defend human rights and our territorial sovereignty, fight corruption, and build an honest and just government in the service of the Filipino people,” Roperos said.

Lief Reyes of 1Sambayan San Mateo shared that organizing communities, groups, and sectors is key to the solutions to the country’s current problems.

“What we will do in 1Sambayan San Mateo is to check on and have a dialogue with teachers, learners, farmers, tricycle drivers, and workers in San Mateo, Rizal. We will deepen their appreciation in being involved in society, and this is where our agenda comes in where we ask them on their state and their thoughts on our previous agenda so we craft it better,” Reyes said.

1Sambayan Youth member Asher Serrana, who currently lives in Europe, said that the coalition will also “tap into the untapped base”, pertaining to Filipino youth overseas.

Serrana said that Filipino youth outside of the country are the “true ambassadors” of the country, who have to face foreigners on the ground to explain the situation in the Philippines.

“We may be outside of the Philippines, but we have a great contribution to building a new Philippines, because the Filipino youth everywhere can shape the future of the Philippines. Our aim here is to arouse and mobilize more Filipino youth outside of the country,” Serrana said, as he encouraged overseas Filipino youth to join 1Sambayan.

University of the Philippines Student Regent and 1Sambayan Youth National Co-convenor Renee Louise Co addressed criticisms against the main coalition, saying that the organization has sectoral representation with many convenors.

1Sambayan had been consistently criticized in the past few months for being a “simple” opposition to the Duterte administration without presenting policy alternatives especially amid the current pandemic.

The composition of 1Sambayan, which includes retired and former government officials, has also been criticized as persons who only identified themselves as opposition to the current administration.

Co vowed that the other sectoral members of the coalition will be “more present” as the coalition builds up before and during the election period.

“We recognize that we have convenors that bring prestige to 1Sambayan because of their [former] positions, but for us, we also need to sectoral convenors who have been here since the start. As 1Sambayan progresses, they have been multiplying, and they have been carrying our calls on the ground, especially that of their sector,” Co said.

1SAMBAYAN AND THE LEFT?

Kabataan Party-list national spokesperson Raoul Manuel congratulated the 1Sambayan Youth on its launch.

Manuel highlighted that the coalition’s youth arm launch, as well as its partnerships with other organizations like their party-list, would be a “step towards a brighter tomorrow for future generations”.

“As the sole youth representative in Congress, we really put prime in youth participation, not only that we are given tokenistic participation, but to incorporate the genuine interests of the youth into various policies. For example, we want genuine representation inside and outside government and in other spaces, since we are the ones inheriting the problems which have remained unaddressed and what would be left to us by the previous leaders,” Manuel said.

When asked about the Manuel’s presence in the launch, Anchores mentioned that the left leaning Makabayan bloc, including Kabataan, are just some of the entities that 1Sambayan had been consulting in its bid to build a “broad spectrum” for the upcoming polls.

Co supported Anchores’ answer, saying that the coalition wants to build on an opposition coalition composed of “all democracy-loving Filipinos”.

“We have mentioned that Makabayan was just one of many that have been with us since the beginning. We are also consulting other groups from the left, and even conservative groups whether political or church based. This is because we recognize that we really need to build a far-reaching [coalition] across political blocs and even untapped non-affiliated and advocacy-based organizations who we want to build with us for 2022,” Anchores said.

1Sambayan Youth will officially launch its local and school-based chapters, introduce its partner organizations, and reveal its youth agenda on September 6.