South Cotabato, Philippines – South Cotabato officially launched the week-long celebration of Linggo ng Kabataan with the inaugural Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Congress and Opening Ceremony held at The Farm at Carpenter Hill last August 11.
This year’s event is anchored on the National Youth Commission theme of the Nationwide celebration of the Linggo ng Kabataan “From Clicks to Progress: Youths Digital Pathways to Sustainable Development.”
Spearheaded by the Provincial Youth Development Office and the office of Board Member Hon. Vincent Figueroa, the Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation President, over a thousand SK Council members from across the province attended the first-ever Provincial SK Congress.
Furthermore, ex-officio Board Member and SK Provincial Federation President Figueroa, called for unity among the youth in the province, especially in the barangays, to drive progress and deliver honest and transparent service to their communities.
“Problems in our country, problems in our province cannot be solved by one person alone; dapat tayong lahat [SK Officials] ang matulong-tulongan, para sabay-sabay tayong aakyat…” – Figueroa said in his state of the Sangguniang Kabataan Address.
Meanwhile, Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. emphasized the importance of collaboration between the provincial government and the Barangay SK Council Governments. The Governor stated that the current administration is continuously striving for sustainable development for future generations, with SK officials as major partners in ensuring a bright future for the youth of the province.
“Ang mga programa natin ngayon… ay nakatuon lamang sa kung paano namin masisiguro na sa pagdating ng panahon at kayo na ang magdadala ng probinsya, ay mapapanatili natin sustainable na development na naumpisahan naming ngayon…” – Governor Tamayo Jr. said in his inspirational message.
In addition, guests from the Department of Interior and Local Government National Office’s Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Felicito A. Valmocina and National Youth Commission’s Commissioner-at-large Commissioner Laurence Anthony Diestro were among the speakers in the first SK Congress.
The Linggo ng Kabataan celebration in the province is set to run from August 11 to August 18.
