“UNVEILING THE SECRECY” (Youth Empowerment in Iligan City)

TODAY, Iliganon young people played an important role in the movements for changes in Iligan City. Numbers alone made them important; almost 40 % of the voters for year 2010 Election are youth. In addition, these young people spent more years in school and were more affluent than previous generations. They are more aware of the social, economical, and political difficulties that the city is facing today. College campuses, youth organizations, NGOs, and other groups in particular teemed with young people who had the freedom to question the moral and political health of the city.

Moreover, one phase of the youth nowadays is that they are more empowered and active in predominating one national standard of justice, and positive development through participatory democracy or the idea that all people, including the youth, even the small elite, should decide the major economic, political, and social questions that shaped the city affecting the national. In a participatory democracy, youth including other organizations (e.g. women, environment, civil rights) would join together and work directly to fight for their own rights and for political and economic changes at the local level.

Importance of the role of the youth should capture public attention as they urged the appropriateness and “bureaucracy transparent management” of the local government. But as we can see today, youth are treated like numbers, not people and “maybe” responsible individuals.

Many other young activists who are aware of our situation fight for economical and political change by working for political candidates and by forming local reform organizations. And speaking of young people who volunteer to work for a political candidate and joining youth organizations, I should say that I am one of them. I think we are doing this because we believe on the leadership abilities and intelligence of our candidate, that he’s the one who can help us reach and strengthen our goals. Joining youth organizations gives us the idea that through such, we could deliver the voice of our comrades as they have become affected of the problems inflicted by ineffective governance.

In an often confrontational speaking, people asked difficult questions that leaders who have unscrupulous manner would rather have ignored. The veil of secrecy that surrounded us should be at least partially removed, for our priority is the health not only of our city but the entire nation as well.