LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – The long-awaited “Linggo ng Kabataan” (Youth Week) program of the Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation (SKPF) of Ifugao shall take place in Lagawe on September 13-15. Following the meetings of the federation’s top officials, the SKPF boasts a fresh new look patterned from other successful organizations in the country.
In celebration of this important occasion, the SKPF will hold the Youth Development Session with focus on key concerns of the youth sector.
Various topics, such as “Values Clarification,” “Adolescent Sexuality,” “Rediscovering Journey of Adolescence,” and “Life Skills, Life Savers” are up for discussion in this segment.
Aezel Dumangeng, SKPF president and concurrent board member, said the three-day program likewise aims to promote the objectives of the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) in particular, and the welfare of the young, in general.
The program which hopes to draw a good number of participants from the province’s 11 towns is being held in partnership with the Provincial Population and Sustainable Development Office. Funds for the accomodations in Lagawe for SK officials from Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Asipulo, Banaue, Hungduan, Mayoyao and Tinoc towns were earmarked by the SKPF. The SKPF has already allotted Php94,500 for this purpose.
Apart from Dumangeng and the province’s young and promising leaders, other SKPF officers are joining them in the program. They are Manny Omela, vice president; Robelyn Banuwag, secretary; Jakelouie Casumpang, treasurer; Ryan Glenn Buocan, auditor; and Jupiter Hedchuja, public relations officer. Members Roa Reinere Bahong, Jocle Mike Cawal-o, John Mark Dulawan, Jandee Kitong, Jazmin Joy Liwongan and Gian Kenno Numbalin are also expected to attend it.
Special feature of the activity is the “Laro ng Lahi” (Ethnic Games) competition. Games slated include akkad, bultong, caba race, climbing the pole, guyyudan, sack race and sanggul. Prizes await the winners of these games.
An outreach mission in Alfonso Lista would be the very last part of the interactive program.
For now, the SKPF would also seek to foster ties and camaraderie among its youthful participants. Ms. Dumangeng said.
Overall, the various activities encompass the SKPF’s strengths as a government unit.
Apart from the aforementioned activities, the SKPF showcases its chairpersons and councilors who made exemplary and extraordinary contributions on their respective villages. Most of these villages are remote and depressed.
“We will educate the young on their needs, wants and responsibilities. We will seek the assistance of other agencies to help them attain a good life.” Dumangeng told the ZigZag Weekly.
This suggests really good things to come for the province’s youth sector.
The SKPF has projects and interests close to youthful members of society. It shall be the driving force in inspiring and motivating students and out-of-school youngsters.
The SKPF is almost there. Find out the interactive activities during the “Linggo ng Kabataan” at the Lagawe Plaza grounds. The forthcoming activity could be the next piece of the puzzle.
The “Linggo ng Kabataan” is seen to support the advocacies and programs of the national government. It is beyond time for SKPF to backtrack now on its plans. Why does it matter? There is so much at stake for young Ifugao residents. Yes, the SKPF stature is already widely recognized.
Today, the SKPF- under the stewardship of Board Member Dumangeng, who is from Kiangan, is a living testament to the Filipinos’ dedication to duty and commitment to excellence. Indeed, the SKPF officials are Ifugao’s source of pride. The SKPF should be a springboard toward becoming the next leaders of Ifugao.
“Through the programs and tools that the Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation has conceptualized and created, the young shall capture the true identity of our people,” Dumangeng pointed out.
Hopefully, in the 2020 edition of the “Linggo ng Kabataan” the SKPF holds a “Leadership Forum” so as to instill the youth the vitality of transformative leadership among them. As traditional politicians continue to dominate the political landscape, the argument for well-meaning, intelligent and youthful leaders to rise will increase. This strategic move will positively secure the future of the SKPF. Things will go well for the youth sector in 2020 and beyond. It would be a colossal mistake for the SKPF to squander this opportunity. The pain of downplaying a noteworthy activity as this one entailing intellectual calisthenics shall inevitably grow to nearly unbearable levels over the next few years. Youngsters- to include the so-called “millennials,” deserve an intelligent discourse of societal concerns affecting their future. Moreover, it motivates young leaders to upgrade their knowledge and develop critical thinking and come up with solutions to help reduce poverty their midst. The SKPF needs to level-up, too.
The SKPF would learn a lot from a leadership-driven and focused forum in terms of governance and economic development among others instead of just tackling a “Me, Myself and I” topic after all most SK officials obtained high school or college education. In the first place, way too many of them are obviously familiar or aware of themselves: as to their Twitter account or their preference for a noontime TV program between Eat Bulaga and Showtime. What happens when you treat them as elementary school children? It is great to see a SK chairman stand up and take a stand for what is right for the people, most especially the poor.
These are very challenging times thus, a leadership forum is important for it would be the SKPF’s response in meeting the challenges that the youth’s role in the fast-paced and digitally-dictated global order would pose. Currently, young Filipinos have become more conscious about socio-economic and political realities and consequently old paradigms will have to change.
Eventually, the SKPF has to accept the fact that there are indeed changing times. But if the SKPF is willing to push past its old-schooled mindset, it’s easier to see and realize that modern-day Philippines have a place for all articulate youthful leaders. That, at best, hasn’t changed.
Curiously, a discussion on the proposed House Bill for term extension of SK and barangay officials is nowhere in the agenda of the “Linggo ng Kabataan” program.
Relevant questions are still up in the air. There are pros and cons of the issue. Is the planned SK and barangay election postponement a serial desecration of the people’s right to suffrage? Is there a need to give them (SK as well as barangay officials) more time to implement their projects and programs? It may well be now or never for SK term extension. Will the SK officials express their views now? It is their obligation to make a stand. With this, they are creating a healthy discussion in their ranks. This is a strong foundation on which to intellectually grow. The opportunity is surely remarkable. Sadly, the SKPF just missed the boat.
From one perspective, it is a challenge to see SK officials being oriented on gender and development (GAD) in the light of controversies hounding the so-called LGBTQIA+ community and efforts to enact the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill. From another perspective, there is also a raging debate to allow or not the lowering the age threshold to 12 on criminal liability.
Leadership capacity-building is a nurturing and fulfilling process. It takes courage, wisdom, persistence and faith. When the plan the SK official wants doesn’t materialize as fast he or she wishes, it’s easy for him or her to lose hope, and nothing tests this faith more than his or her fears. As long as SK officials are being educated on current key issues and developments one can trust that they’re heading in the right direction.
Young Ifugao individuals, like the rest of the province’s folks, should be given the opportunity to grow and develop their potentials to the fullest without fears and worries on reason of wealth. Thanks to the SKPF, this is all happening! Many look at it as an answered prayer! **By Anthony A. Araos
