Mandaue’s youth unite
ALMOST 1,000 youth leaders gathered in Mandaue City last Oct. 11 to form a federation and tackle issues affecting their sector.
Youth delegates from the city’s 27 barangays also elected their officers, who took their oath before Mayor Jonas Cortes at the City Sports and Cultural Complex.
In an interview, Cortes said the Young Mandaue City-wide Federation is part of the City’s effort to encourage multi-sectoral involvement in governance.
“In PGS, we believe that governance is a shared responsibility,” he said in an interview, referring to the Performance Governance System, a program that the City is implementing with the Institute for Solidarity in Asia.
The convention was organized by the Community Affairs Office and the Multisectoral Governance Coalition of the City.
Cielo Monich Manatad, who was elected president of the federation, said the issues their sector is concerned about include drug addiction, early pregnancy and illiteracy.
“We proposed plans of actions such as conducting trainings or seminars for the youth, as well as sports and community services,” she said in an interview.
Manatad, daughter of Subangdaku Barangay Captain and Association of Barangay Captains president Ernie Manatad, also said their sector was convened not to help anyone win in the elections next year.
“This is really for the youth. This is not for the elections,” he said.
Manatad said local chapters of the federation have been organized in 20 barangays.