Newly-appointed NYC chair starts consultations in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Once consultations with youth groups and other agencies around the country will be completed, newly-appointed National Youth Commission Chairman Cariza "Aiza" Seguerra said she is looking forward for the successful implementation of the Philippine Youth Development Plan (2017-2022).

"I have to know which problems to deal with first before coming up with a plan," said Seguerra, who was in Cebu yesterday to kick off her consultation forum for Central Visayas.

A series of consultations nationwide will proceed until October 5.

 "Basically 'yung ginagawa dito is a consultation forum on the youth issues so it was divided into three groups, the youth organizations, the youth leaders; from the provinces- the DILG; and the national government agencies," said Sheridan Gajete of the National Youth Commission-Visayas.

 "So the consultation forum aims to identify what are the youth issues, what are their advocacies as advocates for youth development. So the result of the consultation is i-integrate siya sa Philippine Development Plan on National Economic and Development Authority. Whatever is the result of the PYDP, it will be submitted to NEDA as part of the PDP," Gajete added.

The NYC's Philippine Youth Development Plan 2017-2022 aims to gather inputs from representatives of youth organizations, youth-serving organizations, and national government agencies to identify key issues facing the youth, to propose strategies and policies on which government, other duty bearers and stakeholders should further create and provide and to identify the role of the Filipino youth as rights holders and duty bearers.

 "The foundation of the National Assessment Study is the appreciation and the understanding that it's complicated to be young on this day and age," said NYC Commissioner Percival Cendaña.

Seguerra said that the sectors the NYC would like to focus on are the indigenous people, the LGBT community, the out-of-school youths and the local farmers.

Seguerra also said the NYC is planning to reach out to youths in the school level to address the problems the youth are facing today such as teenage pregnancy and the increasing cases of HIV.

"I believe that aside from the youth development policies that the NYC is mandated to churn out, it should also focus more on the marginalized sector like the Indigenous youth, young victims of drug and substance abuse, among others and do its part to address the concerns of the sector, " she said.

 Twenty youth leaders from youth organizations and fifteen representatives from local government units such as Department of Agriculture-7, Department of Health-7, Department of Interior and Local Government-7, Commission on Human Rights-7, Department of Education-7, and Department of Labor and Employment-7 attended the consultation forum. (FREEMAN)