A Filipino congressman jokingly mocked his government’s corruption but gave hope for the future in a speech at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday.
Raymond Palatino, the first Kabataan (Youth) Party congressman of the Philippines, spoke in the Multicultural Center. Bayanihan Studies Kollective and AnakBayan Los Angeles hosted the event.
The congressman visited California for family reasons but also went on local speaking engagements, said Alex Montances, AnakBayan Los Angeles organization development chair.
Palatino poked fun at the corruption of the Philippine’s government with public-private partnerships, calling it the “House of Representathieves.”
He also added that government officials believe in Einstein’s “theory of relatives” in which less than 200 families control the Philippines’ government.
In regards to the Philippines exporting its labor force, such as doctors and nurses, the congressman said his country’s “brain drain” has progressed into a “brain hemorrhage.”
But Palatino gave hope for the future when he said that the Philippines’ struggle for liberation and democracy will come from the youth’s economic providence, since the nation is far from being economically independent.
“It is when young people link arms with other oppressed sectors like farmers and workers in our society,” said Palatino, regarding the avenue for change.
He also discussed President Benigno Aquino III’s first 100 days and compared Aquino’s reformist agenda to Obama’s.
One of the obstacles to overcome is the lack of safety for journalists in the country. According to Palatino, the Philippines, despite being a safe country, is the second most dangerous country for journalists, following Iraq.
He asked Filipino Americans to help their ancestral country by pressuring the United States to stop giving military aid to the Philippines and by investigating the previous Philippines’ president’s human rights violations.
At 30, Palatino says that he will not run for a third term in the Philippines’ Congress.
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