The Young Nacionalistas form the youth arm of the Nacionalista Party, the Philippines' oldest political party. On December 2012, Cynthia A.
The Young Nacionalistas has been in existence since the 1980s, specifically during the immediate post-EDSA period. One of the founding members included current Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who was then the Secretary General. He was joined by other illustrious personalities who have risen to their respective ranks in Philippine politics. The Nacionalista Youth was meant to bring the Nacionalista Pa
rty closer to the youth, and corollarily, the youth closer to the Party and its ideals. More than just a mere youth arm of the Party, the Nacionalista Youth functioned as a breeding ground for future leaders of the party and the country. During the 1990s and 2000s, the Young Nacionalistas entered into cycles of decay and rebirth. The most recent incarnation of which was during the late 2000s. Villar, one of the Nacionalista Party’s most prominent members, together with a group of young leaders mostly from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Law, revived the Young Nacionalistas. In line with the vision of the Nacionalista Party in promoting love of country among Filipinos, the reinvigorated Young Nacionalistas envision a Filipino youth with a strong and realistic sense of nation-building—that is, by actively engaging them in the various political and democratic processes of the country, and ultimately, molding them into patriotic men and women. These goals are part of the Young Nacionalista’s overall mission of creating a robust and productive, albeit ethical youth that will secure the bright future of the Republic. As the Young Nacionalistas aim to gather the most promising men and women of the country in continuing the ideals set forward by the Party since its inception more than 100 years ago, on March 2, 2013, the founding members of Batch 2013, together with its new members, will take an oath at the Laurel House.
