KORONADAL CITY, Philippines – Speaking of young people, Dr. Jose Rizal’s words “the youth is the hope of the Motherland” always rings a bell.
This timeworn maxim may seem cliché but this is a fact. Youth comprise about a third of the country’s population and whatever is achieved today is theirs to manage in the future.
It is in this context that the Philippine Information Agency in SOCCSKSARGEN Region, in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, National Economic and Development Authority and Mindanao Development Authority gathered students for a series of forums regarding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with the Philippines taking the chairmanship role.
Held in Kidapawan City in Cotabato Province and at Sultan Kudarat State University – Isulan Campus in Sultan Kudarat, on March 16 and 17, the ASEAN Youth Forum aims to bring awareness among students about the ASEAN as an economic community and its institutional partnership and its benefits to the Filipinos.
Also highlighted in these events were equally important matters such as AmBisyon Natin 2040 and the Brunei Darussalam- Indonesia- Malaysia- Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, (BIMP-EAGA).
“It is very important for the young people to know what ASEAN is because they are the next generation who will inherit these policies and the effect of these policies,” Gerardo Reynaldo, chief of MinDA’s South Central Mindanao Office, pointed out.
It is upon the young people to take the cudgel, he emphasized.
“The rallying cry of every generation is change. Now it is up to them to reflect the change that will affect their lives. We started it but it is up to the youth to make these plans work and make ASEAN work for them. So it is very important for them to know at this point in time what ASEAN is all about,” he said.
For Eugene Tacugue, Grade 9 student of M’lang National High School, the event has brought into his consciousness how the Philippines interacts with other member nations of the ASEAN and how this interaction affects the economy of the country.
“As a youth, advancing the awareness of the teenagers on issues that affect us is very significant,” he said promising that he will impart to his fellow youth the insights he gained from the forum and nurture the culture not only as a Filipino but also as an ASEAN.
Meanwhile, Doreen Gauran, Grade 10 student of the St. Mary’s Academy of Kidapawan, Inc. said the ASEAN Youth Forum was a chance for her and fellow youth to realize the benefits and opportunities in store for them as part of the Philippines’ membership on the association. She too committed to encourage fellow youth to get involved in local activities that would push awareness regarding the ASEAN.
Meanwhile, for BS Information Technology student Mark Joseph C. Fermelino of the Sultan Kudarat State University – Isulan Campus, the PIA-led event was an eye-opener.
“I salute the people who initiated this kind of activity. [Through this forum] I learned that the unity of nations must be pursued and as technology and environment change, we have to strive be one, which is the goal of ASEAN,” Fermelino said.
Addressing the students in both venues, PIA 12 OIC Regional Director Joey Sem Dalumpines emphasized that public awareness is the business of PIA.
“Our President Rodrido Roa Duterte has mandated us to bring the government closer to the people. To do that we have to deliver true, accurate and relevant information for you to come up with informed decisions. It is the commitment of our office, ang Bagong PIA to ensure that every Filipino is informed on how to benefit from and participate in programs of the government,” Dalumpines said.
A third ASEAN Youth Forum is slated on March 31 to reach students of Cotabato City State Polytechnic College in Cotabato City.
Reaching the youth for the ASEAN
