Youth should be involved in building country's future

Youth should be involved in building country’s future


Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:13:00 05/27/2008

Filed Under: Youth, Social Issues

This refers to the letter titled, “Why the youth choose to be silent and indifferent .” (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5/9/08) I fully agree that some of our youth today are indecisive, unsure and confused. And what are we doing as responsible adults to help them come out of their shells and speak their minds? Shall we stand idle and just allow them to remain passive and be submissive to our bidding?

The Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, through regional head Renato Brion, and I have embarked on a project to help the youth, especially those with leadership potential, to be more concerned about themselves and to be more responsible in charting their own future and the future of this country.

It is our firm belief that the youth need our support so they would feel confident about themselves and assert their rights as the “hope of the fatherland.” They need to be assured and encouraged so they can assume greater relevance and play a more responsible and effective role in our society. It is interesting to know how they view today the problems of the country and what their proposed solutions are.

It is unfair to judge today’s youth as if they are useless. In the past, there was even an attempt to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan [Youth Council]. Such a proposal is myopic. The ability to build a better future for this country is not the monopoly of adults or the experienced. The youth are also citizens of this country and they have the right to voice their concerns and views about themselves and the society in which they live.

REGINALD B. TAMAYO, member, Sangguniang Bayan [Municipal Council], Aparri, Cagayan