PRESIDENTIAL daughter Evangeline “Luli” Arroyo urged the youth to lead by example during the first World Youth Union-Philippines (WYU) forum at the Thomas Aquinas Research Auditorium last Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.
Arroyo recounted her grandfather’s and mother’s rise to the presidency and their leadership toward good government.
“I call on the idealistic youth as well as the silent majority to be our eyes and ears in the fight against corruption. Tell us about the cases of corruption you know of,” Arroyo said, quoting her mother, President Macapagal-Arroyo.
She also invited the WYU delegates to be active in nation-building, not only by promoting awareness of their rights and responsibilities, but also by listening to student leaders and formulating action plans for a better society.
“This is one important thing we Filipinos need to remember: To know our responsibility whether as citizens or as members of a community or organization,” she added.
Arroyo opened the WYU forum that was also participated in by McCann-Erickson Philippines chief executive officer Emily Abrera and Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David, who both discussed “Media and the Youth in the Philippines”; Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada, Jr., chair-man of the House Com-mittee on Fo-reign Relations, who lectured on “Youth of the Nation: Think Global; Act Global”; and Dr. Erlinda Pefianco, director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology, who discussed “The Role of Educational Innovation and Technology.”
Abrera called for positive action against “inappropriate” media.
“With desensitization comes the loss of privacy and loss of dignity. How much of our bodies must be bared before we say ‘enough’? How many times must a contestant be ridiculed before we stop laughing? We have allowed media to cross the boundary, for the freedom that denies respon-sibility. If you want to change this, you must take positive action,” she said.
Likewise, Jimenez-David stressed the youth’s importance in shaping the future of media and eventually, of the nation’s.
“No one has embraced the ‘new’ media with as much passion as the youth. Part of your work is to keep media on its toes (by utilizing ‘new’ media such as the Internet),” she said.
Lozada, on the other hand, asked the youth to be strict in “bringing in development but not those that can destroy” (the country’s basic culture and beliefs) because it is their future.
Meanwhile, Pefianco discussed the role of educational innovation and technology in expanding learning opportunities and called for an improved educational system in order to provide choices for the Filipino learner.
There were also presentations on the Education Revolution by Eugenia Duran-Apostol, Philippine Daily Inquirer founder and Foundation for World Wide People Power, Inc. director, and on Luntiang Pilipinas by Lito Villanueva, respectively.
Prior to the 1st Philippine Youth Conference, WYU also held conferences in Bangkok, Hongkong and China.
According to WYU Philippines president and former Varsitarian editor in chief Reyann Kong, the conference aimed to address the youth and emphasize their possible contributions to the country’s future.
“The very aim of this (conference) is to gather the youth in the Philippines and to at least take part in the government’s call for a strong republic,” he said.
During the three-day conference, the 60 delegates were divided into groups to discuss the youth’s contributions and suggested solutions to problems regarding the environment, media, education and local politics.
The ideas would be collected to form a general statement, which would be presented to President Macapagal-Arroyo during a courtesy call late this month of WYU delegates, Kong said.
Kong added that Arroyo and Abrera have already joined the WYU’s advisory council. Other advisers include Fr. Rector Tamerlane Lana, O.P. and Office for Student Affairs director Dr. Evelyn Songco.
