YOU and Bagong Pagasa

After reclaiming its historical legacy from other so-called claimants, the Young Officers’ Union (YOU) has just re-invigorated its grassroots organization with the founding of its civilian arm, the Young Organizers’ Union (YOU).

Led by its Secretary General Patricio Mangubat, the new YOU aims to uplift the lives of the youth and Filipinos living in urban communities in the Philippines. It strives to continue the struggle against bad governance and graft and corruption.

The YOU has about 750,000 member organizers’ nationwide and an estimated core grassroots organization of 2 million Filipinos not only in Metro Manila, but also in Bacolod, Davao, Northern and Central Luzon, some parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

The YOU main advocacy is the fight against traditional politics, graft and corruption, food security and enhancing the quality of life for every Filipino.

Today, it has launched its new logo. The logo symbolizes a mythical chalice of the sun, symbolising its desire to sacrifice itself for the service of the Fatherland. The sun at the center of the chalice symbolises "Bagong Pag-asa"--the new slogan of the YOU.

Carlos Maglalang, spokesperson and original founder of the YOU said that they hope that Filipinos would support the Young Organizers’ Union (YOU) in the 2010 elections, after the COMELEC approves its accreditation bid as a partylist organization.

For its part, Secretary General Mangubat said that the Young Organizers' Union will continue the legacy of its forebears by actively organizing the disparate forces in Philippine society.

"The unorganized masses deserve their own organization, " says Mangubat. " This is the New Pambansang Katipunan of the Filipino Masses."

YOU organizers are actively building new chapters in Region 1, 2,3,4-a, 4-b, 6, and ARMM.

Recently, the new YOU has aligned itself with the Democratic Party of the Philippines (DPP).

What's happening General?

Brigadier General Danny Lim admitted that his rebel group, the Young Officer's Union (YOU) led forces in toppling former president Joseph Estrada. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Lim is reportedly running under the wing of Erap's political party.

Also, today, reports say that the Liberal Party, led by the party's chairman, Franklin Drilon visited both Lim and Senator Antonio Trillianes IV in their prison cells to ask the general to run under the Liberal Party wing. Lim's ratings are not in the top 12 but indications are very high that Lim would surely surge to the top once the formal campaign period starts, just like in Trillianes case.

Certain sectors are asking---why is the General entertaining all these invitations from trapos? Erap is surely a trapo. So does Drilon. Sectors are puzzled. Is the General really anti-trapo or what?

If General Lim wants to run as senator, he must do so by building his own political party and possibly coalesce with other traditional parties as a guest candidate, never a formal candidate. There is a strong possibility that people will accept a new political party peopled with those with strong principles and a clear revolutionist agenda.

One party that Danny Lim should consider is the Partido Lakas ng Masa or the newly established Democratic Party of the Philippines (DPP). Or, maybe, just maybe, a new Political party named Democratic People's Patriotic Party (DP3).

Let these trapos gravitate around this new party, and not the other way around. That would send a very strong signal to the traditional elites that their time has come to a definitive end.