Sen. Francis “kiko” Pangilinan

President of the Liberal Party of the Philippines

From his time as a student activist to being a senator of the Republic of the Philippines and an eventual cabinet member in the Aquino administration, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has had no qualms about being independent-minded, proving time and again that progressive ideas and principles have a place in Philippine politics.

His career in public service began over 20 years ago, when the young Kiko began his fight against human rights violations, corruption, and other social ills as Chairman of the UP Diliman Student Council. Eventually becoming a human rights lawyer, he later on became the youngest-ever Councilor of the 4th district of Quezon City and, in 1998, graduated with a Master of Public Administration as an Edward S. Mason Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University.

In 2001, Kiko ran for the Senate with the battle cry, “Kumilos kasama si Kiko,” believing that only when citizens actively participate in governance together with committed leaders can genuine change be effected. The programs he instituted in the years that followed proved the power of public-private collaboration and true citizen empowerment. In 2007, Kiko became the first incumbent to run as an independent and win, even landing in the Top 5 when others branded his move as “political suicide.”

He has recently stepped down as Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization where he was in-charge of four agencies transferred to the Office of the President- the National Food Authority, the National Irrigation Administration, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, and the Philippine Coconut Authority. During his term, he was able to bring down the price of rice, curb the cocolisap infestation, NEDA-approved 30 billion-worth of irrigation projects, and pass the Coco Levy Bill in the House of Representatives, among others, for the benefit and livelihood of our farmers.

He has recently stepped down as Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization where he was in-charge of four agencies transferred to the Office of the President- the National Food Authority, the National Irrigation Administration, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, and the Philippine Coconut Authority. During his term, he was able to bring down the price of rice, curb the cocolisap infestation, NEDA-approved 30 billion-worth of irrigation projects, and pass the Coco Levy Bill in the House of Representatives, among others, for the benefit and livelihood of our farmers.