Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and former Senator Francis Pangilinan were elected Friday night as president and chairman, respectively, of the Liberal Party of the Philippines.
The LP’s meeting and election of officers by its national executive council was held at the Club Filipino in San Juan City.
Also elected were former Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada as executive vice president; former Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, secretary-general; former Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte, vice chairman; Oriental Mindoro Rep. Alfonso Umali Jr., treasurer’ and Iloilo councilor Jason Gonzales, director-general.
Lagman, a veteran lawmaker who belongs to the opposition bloc, vowed that the party will stage a dominant comeback. He pledged to lead LP with principled “activism.”
Lagman also promised to continue the party’s recruitment of non-politician members, especially from the grassroots.
“We shall champion the causes that they have been struggling for. And we shall be the people’s party because we exist and endure for them,” he said in his speech.
Pangilinan, who preceded Lagman as the party’s highest elected official, highlighted the LP’s gains leading to the 2022 national elections.
The former senator ran for vice president in tandem with former Vice President Leni Robredo in the last May 2022 elections, but both failed to emerge victorious.
Pangilinan also underscored the Party’s shift in focusing on recruiting ordinary citizens that resulted in the onboarding of over 10,000 members since they started the shift in 2016.
“We believe then and continue to believe today that real political power emanates from the people themselves in their vast numbers at the grassroots, organized and mobilized and marching together in pursuing goals,” Pangilinan said.
In a video message, Robredo reminded the party members to carry on despite adversities.
Robredo said she is confident that they remain firm not only on their convictions but also their love for the country and the continuing fight for dignity and freedom of each one.
To date, the Liberal Party has over 400 elected officials and over 10,000 non-politician members all over the world. It has 165 chapters and organizing committees locally and overseas including the USA, Singapore, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hongkong, and Bahrain.
