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Renee Co
Filipino lawyer and activist (born 1997) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Renee Louise Manda Co (born November 3, 1997) is a Filipino politician and lawyer who is the representative for Kabataan Partylist, having been elected in 2025.
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Born in Manila, Co studied political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where she was involved with campus journalism and student activism. She pursued Juris Doctor at the University of the Philippines College of Law and graduated in 2023, passing the Philippine Bar Examinations the same year. In the 2025 Philippine House of Representatives elections, Kabataan named Co as their first nominee to the chamber. The partylist attained enough votes to secure Co a seat in the 20th Congress.
Co is a critic of the economic and defense policies pushed by the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and is a supporter of the impeachment of Sara Duterte.
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Early life and education
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Co was born on November 3, 1997, in Manila and was raised in Malabon.[1] She studied at the Manila Science High School, graduating in 2014.[2]
Student activism
Co pursued higher studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. While studying at UP, she served as editor-in-chief of the college's official publication, Sinag, and was the chairperson of the local chapter of the Kabataan Partylist in UP Diliman and co-convenor of UP Rises Against Tyranny and Dictatorship (UPRISE).[3][4] She graduated cum laude with a degree in political science in 2018. After her undergraduate studies, she took and finished law at the UP College of Law in 2023. That same year, she passed the Philippine Bar Examinations.[3]
In January 2021, she was chosen by representatives of student councils from across the UP System to be the 38th Student Regent, succeeding Isaac Punzalan.[4] She denounced the unilateral abrogation of the 1989 UP–Department of National Defense Accord and called the decision "one of the [government's] worst attempts at destroying the institutional safeguards that UP students have fought to put in their struggle for their democratic rights.".[5]
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House of Representatives of the Philippines (from 2025)
Election
Co was chosen as the spokesperson and first nominee of Kabataan Partylist. She previously served as its executive vice president.[6][when?]
On October 5, 2024, Kabataan Partylist filed for Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance before the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) with Co as first nominee, Paolo Echavez as second nominee, and Jpeg Garcia as third nominee.
Tenure
Co will be sworn in as representative on June 30, 2025. Co stated that one of the first priorities that Kabataan Partylist would push in the next Congress would be a students' rights bill against campus repression, as well as measures against online sexual exploitation of children and for mental health concerns among the youth. She also said that the youth agenda is against the prevalence of political dynasties in the Philippines.[7][8]
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Political positions
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Sara Duterte
Co has criticized Vice President Sara Duterte, calling her 'delulu' (slang for delusional) for saying that she is the 'designated survivor' for not attending the 2024 State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., citing her alleged misuse of confidential funds and her family's legacy of killings under the war on drugs.[6] Co has been vocal for the impeachment of Vice President Duterte because of said budget anomalies and concerns regarding confidential and intelligence funds.[7] She is one of the complainants who signed the second impeachment complaint on December 4, 2024, citing betrayal of public trust.[9][10]
Marcos Jr. administration
She and her party have also been critical of the Marcos Jr. administration because of policies such as the Maharlika Wealth Fund.[11] Co has also denounced the reimposition of mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), especially with billions of pesos worth of budget cuts for state universities and colleges in the Philippines for 2025 and grave insufficiency for the budget for education. Contrary to mandatory ROTC, she has encouraged the youth to live the ideals and nationalism of José Rizal and Andrés Bonifacio.[12][when?]
References
External links
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