COTABATO CITY (July 18, 2023) — A resolution urging BARMM ministries, offices, and agencies (MOA) to institutionalize tree planting programs and environmental awareness campaigns was approved today, July 18, by the Bangsamoro Youth Coordinating Council (BYCC) during its fourth regular meeting in Cotabato City.
The resolution seeks to foster partnership among BARMM MOAs on environmental conservation efforts by institutionalizing tree planting programs and environmental awareness campaigns in their regular programs.
The resolution recognizes that involving youth organizations along with other stakeholders in environmental conservation efforts “can cultivate a sense of environmental responsibility and foster sustainable practices for future generations.”
Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) Chairperson Marjanie Mimbantas Macasalong said coordination with BYC in implementing these programs can foster the involvement of the youth on the ground.
“Once these programs are institutionalized, we can gather as many youth volunteers [as possible] from our hundreds of accredited youth organizations, so that they can help in tree planting,” Macasalong added.
According to the resolution, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) will serve as the lead Ministry in these initiatives, ensuring effective coordination, harmonization of efforts, and proper utilization of resources.
The BYCC Council meeting was attended by officers and representatives from the MILG, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), Bangsamoro Sports Commission (BSC), Bangsamoro Commission on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH), Office for Settler Communities (OSC), and Bangsamoro Darul Ifta (BDI).
BYC Commissioners Mohammad Faisal Alih, Pratima Sabal-Samsaraji, and Nasserudin Dunding were also present at the meeting.
The BYCC was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 02 series of 2021 signed by BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim on May 3, 2021. The council, being chaired by the Chairperson of the BYC, has member ministries and offices in the BARMM. It serves as the venue for coordination between BYC and the ministries and other instrumentalities of the Bangsamoro Government in the implementation of youth-related programs, projects, and activities. (BYC PR Unit/KAA)
