August 21 holds a special place in the hearts of Philippines Liberals because, quite coincidentally, three important events happened on this momentous day. Two were tragedies that turned to victories, one for the party and one for the nation. Another possessed the hope of a brighter tomorrow for the party and the nation. All deserve their special place in the annals of Philippine politics and history, for on this day, momentous events happened that changed the course of a nation forever.



It was the day that the Liberal Party would come out at its strongest against the increasing-authoritarian society that President Ferdinand Marcos was leading the country to. August 21, 1971 was the tragic day of the LP miting de avance, when the country’s leading political figures would ascend the stage amidst a teeming crowd and deliver their points about the country’s top political concerns.


Everything was perfect on the stage in Plaza Miranda situated in Quiapo, where the leadership of the Liberal Party had gathered to lauched their candidates for the senatorial race, until one grenade was thrown toward the stage, instantly killing 9 people in the audience and on stage, including members of the media and Liberal Party’s major personalities. Tragic as it may seem, the Plaza Miranda Bombing became a shinning moment for the Liberal Party when it made a disgruntled citizenry vote against the increasingly-authoritarian regime of Marcos, electing nearly all the LP candidates to the Senate.




August 21, 1983 marked a turning point in Philippine history. Fully aware of the risk, Senator Ninoy Aquino, LP secretary general, was returning from three years in exile in an attempt to restore freedom, sensing the deepening bankruptcy of Marcos’s rule that could lead to chaos and anarchy if left to further decay.


Then, a gunshot, - three more, then shouts. A jumble of figures running across the tarmac of Manila International Airport. Amid the chaos, two bodies lie dead on the apron. One is Ninoy Aquino’s body.


It became the spark that become the bonfire of the People Power Revolution and lighted the beacon of dawning democracy and freedom, not just for the Philippines but indeed for the whole world as movements for democracy that used the non-violent approach of People Power flourished in its aftermath.


After Senator Aquino’s death, many felt the promise of peaceful change had died with him. From one man’s sacrifices a nation was reborn in its commitment not just to democracy but to the other values we still struggle to institutionalize today: justice, equality, social formation and good governance.




The trying times are over when the saving grace of the Liberal Party came into shape. August 21, 1989, with the aim of providing a venue for youth involvement in parliamentary struggle, serve as a training ground for young leaders, inculcate and deepen the understanding of liberalism among young people and build a strong youth movement that will transform the nature of Philippine politics, the Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas was born.


KALIPI is composed of young patriotic leaders most from the so-called “young turks” of LP. It played a crucial role in Philippine politics, standing for the removal of foreign military beses, against coup d’ etat, lobbied for the creation of the National Youth Commission, fought for the Magna Carta for Students, the Kabataang Kontra Cha-cha and the Anti-VFA campaign.


From then on, the KALIPI remains and is acknowledge as one of the largest and most dynamic youth wings of a political party in the country today and continues to make itself relevant to its constituents among its various chapters by providing needed exposures and training.