CABANATUAN CITY – Some 6,000 youth volunteers joined an eight kilometer walk in a drive to encourage youths to register and exercise their rights of suffrage in instituting changes and good governance here over the weekend.
Led by priests from the Dioceses of Cabanatuan City as prime movers of the Kaya Natin! Movement, the students and youth volunteers walked from the Catholic –run College of the Immaculate Conception to Araullo University in Bitas, Cabanatuan City.
The activity was called Takbo Para sa Pagbabago.
Harvey Keh, a Kaya Natin! Mover, expressed concern that only a small percentage of qualified voters have registered for the 2010 polls.
“There are eight million new voters who have qualified to vote. So far, only two million have registered,” he said. He added that the so called youth votes or those belonging to the 18-40 age bracket comprise 60 percent of the voting bloc, enough to elect a president.
The Cabanatuan leg is the third launched by the movement. The first was in Ateneo last August 2 and the second last August 15 in San Rafael , Bulacan.
Keh said the fourth leg will be held in Naga City on September 12.
Fr. Jeff Alarilla, director of the diocesan youth commission of the Cabanatuan Diocese, said that in the last elections, many young people from Nueva Ecija failed to cast their vote.
“Either wala silang pakialam o di nila alam (they don’t care or they don’t know),” he said.
Keh also expressed support for San Isidro Mayor Sonia Lorenzo as the movement’s anointed candidate for governor in the province in next year’s polls. “If Mayor Sonia decides to run for governor, definitely the Kaya Natin! Will support her,” he said.
He said that the political success stories of Governors Ed Panlilio and Grace Padaca of Pampanga and Isabela, respectively, could happen in Nueva Ecija where a “Third Force” is necessitated by the in-fighting among warring politicians. “It (Panlilio and Padaca phenomena) can be replicated in Nueva Ecija given the concerted effort. Pero dapat mag-umpisa sa tao. Dapat mag-umpisa sa ibaba .”
Besides Keh and Lorenzo, also present during the Walk were Jess Lorenzo, a Gawad Kalinga volunteer, Fr. Richmond Nilo, CIC president; lawyer Alex Lacson, author of the best-selling book “12 things the Filipino can do;” GK provincial coordinator Feliciano Bolisay Jr.; CIC professor Julia Embuscado; former three-term Cabiao (Nueva Ecija) mayor Gloria Congco and Bobby Guingona, son of Rep. Teofisto Guingona III.
The San Isidro mayor, whose innovative programs in her small town of San Isidro earned a citation from Harvard University, was non-committal about Keh’s endorsement, saying she is preoccupied with her development agenda for her town.
Lacson said that the movement is striking out from their choice of politicians who have abused their power, committed graft and corruption, live lavish lifestyle and who lack transparency and accountability.
“This is the laser test of what a good leader should or should not be,” he said.
At least 30 civic organizations from a cross-section of society had been mobilized for walk-for-a-cause activity in the province.
Organizers said the mass mobilization was spontaneous and no politician was involved and they were not “hakot” crowd.
Led by priests from the Dioceses of Cabanatuan City as prime movers of the Kaya Natin! Movement, the students and youth volunteers walked from the Catholic –run College of the Immaculate Conception to Araullo University in Bitas, Cabanatuan City.
The activity was called Takbo Para sa Pagbabago.
Harvey Keh, a Kaya Natin! Mover, expressed concern that only a small percentage of qualified voters have registered for the 2010 polls.
“There are eight million new voters who have qualified to vote. So far, only two million have registered,” he said. He added that the so called youth votes or those belonging to the 18-40 age bracket comprise 60 percent of the voting bloc, enough to elect a president.
The Cabanatuan leg is the third launched by the movement. The first was in Ateneo last August 2 and the second last August 15 in San Rafael , Bulacan.
Keh said the fourth leg will be held in Naga City on September 12.
Fr. Jeff Alarilla, director of the diocesan youth commission of the Cabanatuan Diocese, said that in the last elections, many young people from Nueva Ecija failed to cast their vote.
“Either wala silang pakialam o di nila alam (they don’t care or they don’t know),” he said.
Keh also expressed support for San Isidro Mayor Sonia Lorenzo as the movement’s anointed candidate for governor in the province in next year’s polls. “If Mayor Sonia decides to run for governor, definitely the Kaya Natin! Will support her,” he said.
He said that the political success stories of Governors Ed Panlilio and Grace Padaca of Pampanga and Isabela, respectively, could happen in Nueva Ecija where a “Third Force” is necessitated by the in-fighting among warring politicians. “It (Panlilio and Padaca phenomena) can be replicated in Nueva Ecija given the concerted effort. Pero dapat mag-umpisa sa tao. Dapat mag-umpisa sa ibaba .”
Besides Keh and Lorenzo, also present during the Walk were Jess Lorenzo, a Gawad Kalinga volunteer, Fr. Richmond Nilo, CIC president; lawyer Alex Lacson, author of the best-selling book “12 things the Filipino can do;” GK provincial coordinator Feliciano Bolisay Jr.; CIC professor Julia Embuscado; former three-term Cabiao (Nueva Ecija) mayor Gloria Congco and Bobby Guingona, son of Rep. Teofisto Guingona III.
The San Isidro mayor, whose innovative programs in her small town of San Isidro earned a citation from Harvard University, was non-committal about Keh’s endorsement, saying she is preoccupied with her development agenda for her town.
Lacson said that the movement is striking out from their choice of politicians who have abused their power, committed graft and corruption, live lavish lifestyle and who lack transparency and accountability.
“This is the laser test of what a good leader should or should not be,” he said.
At least 30 civic organizations from a cross-section of society had been mobilized for walk-for-a-cause activity in the province.
Organizers said the mass mobilization was spontaneous and no politician was involved and they were not “hakot” crowd.
