QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila (Jan. 22, 2024)—Chairperson Marjanie Mimbantas Macasalong and key personnel of the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) embarked on Monday, Jan. 22, a benchmarking activity with the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in Quezon City.
The learning activity was aimed at gaining insights and best practices from NAPC’s formation of sectoral convergence groups for the establishment of the Regional Youth Advisory Council in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), to be headed by the Chairperson of BYC.
Chairperson Macasalong said that through the establishment of RYAC, the voices of the youth from local government units, the women’s sector, civil society organizations, traditional leaders, Bangsamoro communities outside BARMM, and religious leaders, among others, will echo to help collaborate, develop, and implement programs tailored to the specific needs of our youth.
“The formation of the RYAC is not merely a procedural task; it is a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and representation. It ensures that every Bangsamoro youth, regardless of background, has a platform to contribute their unique perspectives, contexts, and experiences to the development of the Bangsamoro region,” Macasalong added.
NAPC Lead Convenor Lope Santos III said the benchmarking activity is a welcome development and hopes to see an established sectoral council in BARMM for the youth.
BYC will draw inspiration from NAPC’s established guidelines for sectoral councils of Artisanal Fisherfolk, Children, Cooperatives, Farmers and Landless Rural Workers, Formal Labor and Migrant Workers, Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Cultural Communities, Non-Government Organizations, Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens, Urban Poor, Victims of Disasters and Natural Calamities, Women, Workers in the Informal Sector, and Youth and Students.
Among the attendees were NAPC Vice Chairperson for the Basic Sectors Ruperto ‘Ka Uper’ Aleroza, OIC Deputy Director General and Head Executive Assistant Girlie Amarillo, Vice Chairperson for the Government Sector Chief of Staff Joey Villaflor, OIC Director of Policy and Planning Service Ronaldo Mateo, Director for Basic Sector Coordination and Advocacy Service Von Francis Mesina, and Council Member of Youth and Students Sector Leizl Adame.
BYC will form a technical working group to develop the guidelines for the RYAC. (BYC PR Unit/RMM)
