KABATAAN Party-list Representative Raoul Manuel claimed the Youth of the Year Award 2022 given by Thailand-based YPEER Asia Pacific Center.

YPEER Asia Pacific Center is a network of organizations and institutions that work together to address youth-related issues such as mental and reproductive health and civic engagement.

YPEER gives the Youth of the Year Award to young leaders in the Asia-Pacific region who serve as role models by promoting peer empowerment while working on health, environment, education and policy issues.

Manuel was recognized for being a staunch advocate of the right of Filipino youth to education.

In his college years, Manuel led the student council in mobilizing fellow students to promote access to free higher education.

Nationwide youth campaigns led to a law that stops the collection of tuition and other school fees from students of state universities and colleges.

Since then, Manuel continues to seek safe spaces for the youth to discuss pressing issues and channel common visions toward influencing public policy.

“Empowering my fellow youth allows them to see our collective ability to influence governance and secure the adoption of policies that benefit the youth,” he said.

Manuel committed to championing the 9-Point Youth Agenda through policy-making that pays attention to the product of fruitful conversations, especially by young Filipinos who learn from each other’s experiences and support each other’s initiatives.