Getting the youth all ready and on fire

On 11 August, at the 21st floor of the Frassati Building of University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, more than 200 Filipino youths listened to national youth leaders and liberal stalwarts who shared invaluable insights. More than 200 youths discussed the pressing issues their country was facing and engaged in the creation of possible concrete solutions. That day in August, a flame was ignited in each of those 200 youths, all of whom are hopefully keeping it ablaze.

CALD has often highlighted the role of the young in keeping the liberal light burning. Partnering with Center for Liberalism and Democracy (CLD), CALD decided to hold “Dagitab,” a one-day youth summit designed to spark passion among young Filipinos to serve their country in whatever form they think best suits their ability and skills. Through the theme “Kindle-a ng Kabataan: Pasiklabin ang Bayanihan (Let Cooperation Explode with the Light of Youth),” Dagitab teased out of the young participants their concerns, aspirations, and dreams for the Philippines.

CALD Chairperson and former Philippine senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan kicked off the summit by having a dialogue with Filipino youth icon Jules Guiang, also a founding member of 2030 Youth Force. Pangilinan and Guiang talked primarily about idealism and how powerful it is when embodied by Filipino youth. Pangilinan noted that when the youth genuinely believe in something, all things are possible. He recalled his own days as a student activist at the University of the Philippines, even though he admitted that he was not “woke” in the beginning. It was only when he was exposed to the real state of the nation, the former lawmaker said, that he realized how social ills were plaguing his country.

A roundtable discussion was next, with Guiang acting as moderator. Like Pangilinan, the panelists at the roundtable discussion talked of empowerment and gave advice to the youth in attendance. For instance, Dexter Yang, founder of GoodGovPH, a youth-led nonprofit for good governance in the Philippines, talked of the Sanggunian Kabataan or Youth Council, as well as not-so-commonly known laws in the Philippines that the youth have successfully implemented in certain municipalities and cities in the country.

Elementary schoolteacher Ryan H. Homan, meanwhile, recounted his experience with poverty and how volunteering made him strong. He said that he was thankful to his hometown for supporting his studies. Homan has been paying it forward.  In 2013, he built a balsa (raft) that he used to pick up the students and out-of-school youths from their homes every weekend so they could have reading lessons.

Certified Public Accountant and 2019 bar topnotcher Diane Azores, for her part, shared how she struggled to make ends meet when she was an adolescent, and how she gathered the courage to eventually put herself and her family in a better situation.

Later in the day, the delegates were divided into small groups so that they could discuss in depth the country’s many problems and social issues. Facilitating the focus-group discussions were Guiang and some volunteer UST students.

A representative from each group presented the key points of their discussion to the whole body, with a volunteer taking notes to consolidate all the points raised by the groups. The results of this session became the basis of the Four Point Youth Agenda, a document outlining advocacies, concerns, proposed solutions, and demands of the Filipino youth for the Philippines’ 30 October 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

In his solidarity message delivered after the drafting of the Agenda, ASEAN Youth Advocates Network Founder and Chairperson Emmanuel Mirus S. Ponon emphasized the need to take action. Outside of the summit, he said, a world is waiting for the impact from the Filipino youth.

In truth, the participants were already given a leg up at the summit to effect change. CALD and CLD had partnered with several organizations to bring volunteer, internship, and other similar opportunities closer to the delegates, with the likes of EcoWaste Coalition, INCITEGov, Kilos Ko Youth, GoodGovPH, DAKILA, Liberal Youth, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation – Philippines, and Angat Buhay setting up booths at the event, ready for anyone interested in signing up.

CALD, however, also remembered the power of music to inspire, and had the Filipino indie band The Ridleys give the summit a rocking close.