Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet
25 June 2012

Liberal Party Chairman and President Benigno S. Aquino III witnessed the oath-taking of 295 new members of the LP in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) held at the Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet.

The mass oath-taking was administered by LP President and Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Mar Roxas as the LP continues its intensified efforts on party building and local chapter organizing in the CAR anchored on it’s new slogan “Sa Daang Matuwid, Asensong Walang Patid.”

In his message, President Aquino called on his new partymates to serve their boss, the Filipino people, as this is their number one priority as political leaders. He urged them to stand up and remain loyal to the party even after his presidency ends in 2016.

The President emphasized that his government is now more capable of providing for the needs of the people compared to the past administration. “Sa kalagitnaan ng ating termino, malayu-layo na rin ang ating narating. Ang hamon ay maipagpatuloy ang ating nasimulan: humakbang pasulong sa halip na umatras pabalik sa dating kalakaran.”

He cited several achievements done by his administration such as the 82 percent of Filipinos enrolled in PhilHealth, the 3 millon beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer program, the country’s rice-self sufficiency by 2013 and the possibility of exporting a high variety of rice to neighboring countries, and the impeachment of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The new LP-CAR members are composed of incumbent local officials and sectoral leaders from the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province. Official records from the LP National Headquarters also show that fifty percent (50%) of the municipal mayors in the CAR are part of the LP, and that the number of party members from the region continues to increase and is expected to reach eighty percent (80%).

Prior to the oath-taking event, the incoming new members had a Basic Orientation on Liberal Democracy (BOLD) in order to educate them on the ideology and principle of the Liberal Party.

As the majority party in power, LP officials are committed to advance and institutionalize the party’s political ideology and principles to sustainably increase the number of believers and supporters who will march along the President’s rallying call for a “tuwid na daan” or straight path.

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