A salute to the youth for voting wisely

The triumph of newly-elected Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, both of whom I endorsed in this column just before the recent election, is largely attributed to the youth vote.

- FINDING ANSWERS FORMER SENATOR ATTY. JOEY D. LINA

Of course, the enlightened older generations have also voted for the two. But it's the millennials (born in the years 1981 to 1996) and Gen Z (1997 to 2007) voters who both comprise more than 60 percent of the voting population that are widely believed to be behind their amazing victory.

While no scientific studies have yet pinpointed them as having single-handedly propelled Bam and Kiko to victory, defying expectations and casting doubts on the credibility of pre-election surveys, both the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) believe the youth votes to be the game-changer.

And Bam himself credits his overwhelming victory to young people, the tremendous efforts of young volunteers in his campaign who made it possible to achieve what had seemed to be an impossible dream—catapulting him to No. 2 in the winning circle from a distant ranking outside the supposed Top 20.