Alla impact stories
Youth mobilisation paved the way for new female leader in the Philippines
The mobilisation of young residents in San Jose del Monte helped pave the way for female leader Ronalyn Pordan to win a seat on the city council – in a country where local politics long has been dominated by political dynasties, large campaign budgets, and traditional electoral machinery. Through Palme Center's partner organization ACF, young volunteers were trained to run grassroots campaigns built on engagement and collective action rather than financial resources.In San Jose del Monte, local politics has long been dominated by political dynasties, large campaign budgets and traditional electoral machinery.
New generation of voters proved otherwise
In the most recent local election, a new generation of voters showed that politics can also be built from the bottom up. With the support of hundreds of young volunteers, human rights lawyer Atty Ronalyn Pordan succeeded in winning a seat on the city council through a campaign built on dialogue and grassroot mobilisation.
Ronalyn Pordan was no typical candidate. For several years she has, as a lawyer, offered free legal advice to vulnerable groups in for example land- and labour disputes, and cases of violence against women.
Growing a campaign built on mobilisation instead of political dynasties
When she decided to run in the election, she lacked both financial resources and the backing of a political dynasty. Instead, her campaign was built on a growing a network of young people inspired by her work.
Through the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Active Citizenship Foundation (ACF), several of the young volunteers received training in how to run so-called grassroots campaigns – campaigns based on dialogue and organisation rather than money. Young activists organized themselves into local teams, went door-to-door, visited small shops and spoke with families in their neighborhoods.
The campaign’s motto became “Kwento, hindi kwarta” – “Stories, not money”.
Winning a seat on the city council
The campaign quickly grew into a broad movement – the Purple Movement – which symbolised her feminist values and vision of a more inclusive political realm. When the votes were counted, it was clear that the grassroot mobilisation had succeeded. Despite limited resources, Ronalyn Pordan won a seat on the city council. The victory marks more than just an election result.
It shows that young people can change politics through organisation and participation. Today, many of the volunteers continue to work alongside Pordan on issues such as education, social services, youth participation and the protection of vulnerable groups.
