YOUTH LEADERS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administers the oath-taking of newly elected officers of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) National and Island Representatives in a ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday (June 5, 2024). In his message, the President called on youth leaders to be proactive in airing their ideas, promising them that the national government would listen. (RTVM Screengrab)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called on youth leaders to remain proactive in their roles as frontliners of public service, encouraging them to contribute their insights as he cited the government’s need for the youth’s energy and passion.
Marcos made the remark as he administers the oath-taking of newly elected officers of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) National and Island Representatives in a ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday.
In his speech, Marcos said the government needs to be “revitalized” for it to come up with “new ideas” to be in sync with the call of the times.
“It is very clear that the government needs to be revitalized, needs to have new blood, needs to have new ideas, needs to have that determination and energy that, maybe the very high ups have lost sight of. Napakaganda makita na ang kabataan talagang hindi nila tinitigilan ang kanilang paniniwala na pinaglalaban (It’s very encouraging to see that the youth continues to fight for what they believe in),” Marcos said.
The President then encouraged the youth, particularly the SK officials, to make their voices heard and vowed that the national government will listen to their ideas.
“Kung mayroon kayong nakikitang mas magandang pamamaraan, sabihin ninyo, isigaw ninyo. Wala yung mga matatanda hindi makikinig sa inyo pero pilitin ninyo (If you see a better way, say it, shout it out. The elders might not listen to you, but force them),” Marcos said.
“Kung maganda ang naging resulta, anong masama dun? Kung hindi matagumpay, hindi bale. Next. Subukan natin ibang bagay. Subukan nating ibang sistema (If the result was good, what's wrong with that? If it's not successful, that's okay. Let's try something else. Let's try a different system). But you have to be there. We need your energy. We need your new blood,” he added.
Under the Local Government Code of 1991, the SK, alongside the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK), was created to provide opportunity for young people to directly participate in local governance.
Also under the Local Government Code, the LNB serves as an organization of all barangays — the smallest political and administrative unit in the Philippines — for the primary purpose of determining the representation of the Liga in the sanggunians, and for ventilating, articulating and crystallizing issues affecting barangay government administration, and securing, through proper and legal means, solutions. (PNA)
