Draft:Liberal Youth of the Philippines

The Liberal Youth of the Philippines (LY) is a youth-led political and principles-based organization that serves as a home for young liberals and freedom-loving individuals in the country. It exists to fight for a society where every individual experiences the three freedoms of democracy: freedom from poverty, freedom from fear, and freedom to dream.

By laying the groundwork for youth participation, LY aims to shape national discourse and influence the government for effective policies and programs as the sole youth arm of the Liberal Party of the Philippines.

History
The Liberal Youth of the Philippines (LY), formally established on 15 October 2015, is a breakaway organization from the Filipino Liberal Youth. The reason for breaking away is simple: Liberal Youth will never succumb to politics governed by transactions and personal interests; instead, it will always be guided by its principles and values. Since then, it has grown in numbers and in reach. LY now has a community of supporters and several chapters across the country. The growth can be correlated with LY fully adhering to principles of consultations and dialogues to foster unity across the youth sector thus getting rid of any confrontational, selfish interests, and zero-sum approach. It endorsed and campaigned for the Roxas-Robredo campaign during 2016 presidential elections, the Otso Diretso Senatorial Slate during the 2019 Philippine Senate election , and the Robredo-Pangilinan TroPa campaign during the 2022 presidential elections.

Ideology
LY represents the social liberal ideology, to which the qualifier “social” refers to the inherent partiality of LY towards the most vulnerable sectors within a society.

It aims to have a society that respects and protects the three fundamental freedoms of every individual in accordance with its own values and principles of liberty, to wit: freedom from poverty, freedom from fear, and freedom to dream.

Freedom from Poverty is LY's belief that every individual, regardless of race, religion, gender, identity, social status, among others, must have equal opportunity to access quality employment as well as entrepreneurial and livelihood opportunities.

Freedom from Fear is LY's belief that every individual, regardless of race, religion, gender, identity, social status, among others, must have equal opportunity to access affordable and quality healthcare, housing, and be safeguarded from crimes and disasters.

Freedom to Dream is LY's belief that that every individual, regardless of race, religion, gender, identity, social status, among others, must have equal opportunity to access quality education. Likewise, LY believes that every individual must have equal and better opportunities for them to develop and reach their fullest potential; because only when individuals become the best version of themselves can they be truly free.

LY, in consideration of the poverty rate in the Philippines, believes that the state’s role in ensuring equal access to opportunities must go beyond the provision of universal education and healthcare. LY believes that it is necessary for the government to have a transitional program policy that can address the barest minimum needs of the most vulnerable sectors, with the goal of helping them become self-reliant in the future.