Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa

12/02/2026

IN THE NEWS: Pinuna ni Kabataan, Tayo Ang Pag-asa (KTAP) national convenor Brell Lacerna ang pahayag ni Sen. Robin Padilla na mahihina umano ang kabataan at hindi uso noon ang salitang depression.

Ayon kay Lacerna, dapat kilalanin ang depression bilang sakit at hindi bilang kahinaan.

Dagdag ni Lacerna, hindi mahina ang kabataan dahil sa kanilang aksyon at inisyatibo laban sa lumalalang korapsyon sa bansa.

Para sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong emotional at mental challenges, maaaring tumawag sa crisis hotline ng National Center for Mental Health.

Pinuna ni Kabataan, Tayo Ang Pag-asa (KTAP) national convenor Brell Lacerna ang pahayag ni Sen. Robin Padilla na mahihina umano ang kabataan at hindi uso noon ang salitang depression.

Ayon kay Lacerna, dapat kilalanin ang depression bilang sakit at hindi bilang kahinaan.

Dagdag ni Lacerna, hindi mahina ang kabataan dahil sa kanilang aksyon at inisyatibo laban sa lumalalang korapsyon sa bansa.

Para sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong emotional at mental challenges, maaaring tumawag sa crisis hotline ng National Center for Mental Health.

02/01/2026

A month after Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) mobilized 650,000 people for its “Rally for Transparency and a Better Democracy,” its political discipline is impossible to ignore. No party, labor federation, or civil society coalition today can summon this kind of unity—on the streets or at the ballot box. In a system fractured by personal machines and patronage, INC has become an institution no politician can afford to ignore.

This power did not emerge from belief alone. Decades of negotiation, social precarity, and state retreat have shaped obedience, support, and survival into a tightly bound system. Bloc voting is not an anomaly—but what does it reveal about the gaps the state leaves behind and the forms of power that rise to fill them?

📖 Read the full piece here: https://insphofficial.medium.com/iglesia-ni-cristo-bloc-voting-and-the-neoliberal-state-26060f85bd86

02/01/2026

The Baha sa Luneta and Trillion Peso March protests held last September 21 and November 30 have undeniably demonstrated the resolve of the Filipino people to hold corrupt public officials accountable for their crimes. For far too long, the people have suffered from the numerous consequences of systemic corruption, the most prominent being the rampant flooding caused by ghost and substandard DPWH flood control projects.

This state of affairs has prompted BAYAN and other progressive movements to call for the resignation of Pres. Marcos Jr., Vice President Duterte, and all other corrupt officials. But what kind of government should we expect after their ouster? How can such a government deal with the systemic roots of corruption and empower genuine democracy in the Philippines?

📖Read the full piece here: https://medium.com//from-corruption-to-collective-governance-the-national-transition-council-and-the-power-of-the-42c678087f49

29/08/2025

DUTERTE YOUTH IS DISQUALIFIED! A WIN FOR THE YOUTH!

Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa (KTAP) welcomes the COMELEC En Banc's decision to deny Duterte Youth's Motion for Reconsideration against its disqualification case pending before the agency. The nullification of Duterte Youth's registration is a significant step in further exposing the ills of the election system. This resolution, delayed for six years, deprived the Filipino people of genuine government service and legislative representation.

"Although still subject to appeal in the Supreme Court, this decision is a stern warning for those who exploit the election system for their own selfish gain," National Convenor Brell Lacerna asserted. “COMELEC should enforce this precedent so that the likes of Duterte Youth will not be able to run in Congress in 2028.”

"This is a victory for the Filipino people who sought accountability over Duterte Youth's circumvention of election laws and their blatant misrepresentation of the youth in Congress," Lacerna added.

KTAP urges Filipino youth to overhaul the political system controlled by dynasties and corrupt officials, which remain the greater obstacles to good governance at large. “As the ‘pag-asa ng bayan’, we rely on the strength of countless communities—unwilling victims of sham elections—to continue holding those in power accountable,” Lacerna affirmed.

As COMELEC prepares for the national budget deliberations this year, KTAP also challenges the agency to address persisting election anomalies since 2022. "COMELEC shall not wait for cases of election fraud and violence remain unresolved and reach 2028,” Lacerna stated. The alliance also urges COMELEC to resolve all pending disqualification cases against fake partylists in the interest of the people's welfare.

"Alongside this call, we enjoin the nation to collectively fight against the persistence of political dynasties and business interests that feed them. We must reclaim our spaces in governance and delivery of public services" Lacerna concluded.




PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 29, 2025

REFERENCE:
Brell Lacerna, National Convenor
09765224527
[email protected]

09/07/2025

EH ANO NAMAN PAKE NAMIN SA IMPEACHMENT?

Amid public officials misusing confidential funds to the tune of P125 million, as Vice President Sara Duterte did in 11 days, and senators refusing to try the subsequent impeachment case, it must be the public that pushes for accountability.

But where is the impeachment case now? What can we, as students, do to propel it forward?

Join us for “Resibo Please: What the Youth Should Know about Impeachment” to find out more!

📅 July 11, Friday, 1–4 p.m.
✍️ Sign up here: bit.ly/3GpQuVe

Walk-ins will be allowed for as long as seats are available.

Hosted by:
Democracy Watch
Philippine Collegian

In partnership with:
Sinag
Tinig ng Plaridel
UP Diliman University Student Council

05/07/2025

‎Youth groups backtrack 2025 midterm polls, lays visions for 2028
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‎LOOK: Electoral watchdog Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-Asa (KTAP) held a post-election forum yesterday, July 4, to backtrack the outcomes of the 2025 midterm polls and lay down the youth's visions for 2028.
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‎Entitled "2025 Elections: Fearless Forecast", convened representatives of people's organizations and youth groups to discuss the implications of election outcomes among the youth and their prospects towards the 2028 national polls.
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‎The program also served as a platform to call for , five years since Rodrigo Duterte signed the oppressive law in July 3, 2020.
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‎The program concluded with a call for the total disqualification of Duterte Youth Party-list, whose registration was nullified by the Commission on Elections last June 18 for failing to meet procedural requirements and encouraging the harassment of activists and rights advocates. Youth groups in turn called for the proclamation of Gabriela Party-list, long recognized for genuine sectoral representation and service in Congress.

02/07/2025

The 2025 National and Local Elections period may have concluded, but the effects of widespread disenfranchisement of Filipino voters, tainted by decades-long issues of electronic fraud and political repression, have further exposed the decaying traditional political system plaguing our democracy.

Can we still envision change with this situation? What should we do, then?

Join us on Thursday, July 3, for 2025 Elections Fearless Forecast---a A Multi-perspective Youth-led Discussion on the 2025 Midterm Elections, Its Implications, and Ways Forward. Independent watchdogs, youth groups, and people's organizations will share assessment points on the May 12 polls, its effect on the youth vote, and initiatives we can work on towards the next elections in 2028.

The forum will run 9Am to 6PM at the College of Media and Communications (CMC) Auditorium, UP Diliman. We encourage you to register here: https://bit.ly/2025ElexFearlessForecast. A few slots will also be opened for walk-ins.

See you there!

01/07/2025

KABATAAN, MAGKAISA LABAN SA PANDARAYA!

Inaasahan bukas na mapag-uusapan ng Commission on Elections En Banc ang mga nakabinbing mga resolusyon at isyu sa halalan. Kasama rito ang pagpinal ng desisyong hinain ng Duterte Youth na Motion for Reconsideration mula sa pagkakansela ng kanilang registration.

Sa pag-usad ng COMELEC sa naturang mga isyu ngayong halalan, higit lalong kikilos ang mga kabataan upang isiwalat at kundenahin ang malawakang pandaraya nang halalan. Ngayon na nagsisimula ang ika-20 na kongreso, hindi hahayaan ng kabataan na kulang-kulang ang mga mambabatas hanggang hindi pa nadi-disqualify ang Duterte Youth at matugunan na ang libong pandaraya at karahasan nang eleksyon.

Kabataan, tayo ang pag-asa. Sumama sa pagkilos para sa malinis, tapat, patas, at mapayapang halalan!

WHAT: Protest action to urge the Comelec En Banc to seal the decision in disqualifying Duterte Youth
WHERE: Comelec Headquarters, Intramuros, Manila
WHEN: July 2, 2025 | 10 AM

Sumali sa GC na ito para sa koordinasyon at iba pang impormasyon:
https://m.me/j/AbZxfAykO4rCwxCC/

01/07/2025

IN THE NEWS: According to KTAP National Convenor Brell Lacerna, the Comelec en banc should now decide whether or not to disqualify the Duterte Youth Party-list.

“Seal the decision to disqualify [the] Duterte Youth Party-list. This is the people’s call and the ball is now on Comelec en banc on whether they will finally disqualify the Duterte Youth on the basis of nullifying its registration,” Lacerna told reporters in Filipino.

Several groups on Wednesday urged the Comelec to disqualify with finality the Duterte Youth Party-list and proclaim Gabriela Party-list.

01/07/2025

IN THE NEWS: Youth group Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa (KTAP) and allies also held a protest action, urging Comelec to resolve all the pending cases against Duterte Youth and to disqualify them.

KTAP said this is one step in bringing back the integrity of the party-list system. | via Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News

Youth group Kabataan, Tayo ang Pag-asa (KTAP) and allies also held a protest action, urging Comelec to resolve all the pending cases against Duterte Youth and to disqualify them.

KTAP said this is one step in bringing back the integrity of the party-list system. | via Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News

01/07/2025

IN THE NEWS: Groups, including Gabriela and Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-asa, urge the Comelec to disqualify with finality the Duterte Youth Party-list and proclaim Gabriela Party-list as winner in the 2025 midterm elections.

The Comelec Second Division cancelled the registration of Duterte Youth based on a 2019 petition seeking to nullify the group’s registration due to lack of publication and hearing of its accreditation.

However, the decision is not yet final and executory.

When earlier asked if losing party-lists can claim seats once the Duterte Youth is not proclaimed, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said that it is not yet the right time to discuss such matters as the decision is not yet ruled with finality. | via Dianne Sampang, INQUIRER.net