Raoul Danniel Abellar Manuel (born August 30, 1994) is a
Filipino youth activist
Youth activism is the participation in community organizing for social change by persons between the ages of 15–24. Youth activism has led to a shift in political participation and activism. A notable shift within youth activism is the rise of ...
and politician who is the
representative for
Kabataan Party-list. He is currently the National President of
Kabataan Partylist, previously serving as the president of the
National Union of Students of the Philippines.
He is a member of the
Philippine House of Representatives for the 19th Congress.
Education
Manuel finished his undergraduate degree of Applied Mathematics in
University of the Philippines Visayas and became its first ''summa cum laude''.
He became UPV College of Arts and Sciences Student Council Chairperson. After which, in 2016, he became the student regent of the Board of Regents of the
University of the Philippines System where he represented 50,000 students.
Advocacies
Raoul is an education advocate. He called for free education among public tertiary schools and the junking of the socialized tuition system in UP.
He criticized the removal of Philippine History among senior high curriculums after housemates from
Pinoy Big Brother failed to answer basic questions on Philippine history. He called for the review and overhaul of the
K–12 system in the Philippines. He also criticized the state of education in the Philippines under the COVID-19 pandemic
under the Duterte administration, saying that the shortcomings revealed the 'long-standing' problems of
Philippine education. He became a National Convener for
Rise for Education
Rise or RISE may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world
* Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3''
* Rise Kujikawa, a video ...
, an alliance that pushes through with nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented Philippine education.
He has also been an advocate against mandatory implementation of
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program in the Philippines as well as a critic of said abuses under the Armed Forces of the Philippines. During a Senate hearing on ROTC on August 22, 2019, he had a heated exchange with Senator
Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa.
During the filing for the nominees for the 2022 national elections, Manuel, as the first nominee of Kabataan Partylist, said that "The youth bear a responsibility to advance the politics of change and hope." He also said that Kabataan Partylist prevailed despite moves to disqualify them from Congress and denounced groups that "pretend" to be the voice of the youth.
In March 2022, a navy officer was condemned by Raoul in social media in which the said soldier posted death threats against the youth activist. The
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...
said that the officer was relieved and became a subject of 'thorough investigation'.
He opposed both registrations of
SIM cards and social media accounts.
Political career
Congressional career
Entering congress at the age of 27, Manuel became one of the youngest members of the
19th Congress. He abstained during the election of the speakership and joined the minority bloc.
[https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/7/25/House-Speaker-Martin-Romualdez-19th-Congress.html]
Electoral history
Manuel was Kabataan's first nominee in the
2022 Philippine House of Representatives elections
The 2022 Philippine House of Representatives elections were List of legislatures of the Philippines, the 36th lower house elections in the Philippines. The election of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives wa ...
. The party-list received 536,690 votes or 1.46% of the votes, entitling the party a seat in congress. Throughout the campaign, the party was faced with disqualification cases, posing a risk to its proclamation. Nonetheless, the party was proclaimed as one of the winners of the party-list elections. Manuel, as the first nominee was designated as the party's representative in congress.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Raoul
1994 births
People from Iloilo
Living people
Youth activists
University of the Philippines alumni