BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – “Be part of the solution of the problem, and not be part of the problem.”
This was the advice of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas to hundreds of young leaders in the country during the 9th Congress of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) at Central Philippine University (CPU).
Roxas reminded the student leaders that they have the obligation, responsibility and strength to face the problems of the nation, including natural disasters, and formulate solutions.
“Tayong mga leaders ay hindi dapat magpabaya. Kasi nakasandal sa atin ang ating bansa at inaasahan tayo. Pinili ninyo ang maging leader, so you have to stand firm. Be part of the solution of the problem, and not be part of the problem, especially during disasters and typhoons,” Roxas said.
He expressed his interest as DILG secretary to partner with the youth and other sectors on how to do their share during disasters “para ma-exercise nila ang kanilang responsibilities to inform their neighbors and the community on the status of typhoons.”
“The youth should be trained on disaster preparedness,” Roxas said, “The call for solidarity among the different student and youth organizations all over the country is as strong as the burdens that our country faces in the present and in the uncertain future.”
The theme of the 9th Congress of SCAP was “Build better together.” It focused on the rehabilitation of their fellow students in northern Iloilo, one of the areas severely affected by super typhoon “Yolanda.”
On the other hand, SCAP National Chairman Heart Diño expressed her gratefulness to Roxas for sharing his time with the student leaders.
She said they will be visiting parts of northern Iloilo to show their sympathy to the victims.
“The SCAP holds on to one of its founding principles: the solidarity among our ranks in the student movement,” she stressed.
Diño said that as SCAP’s commitment to their fellow students, brothers and sisters affected by the calamity, the organization will adopt several public schools in Estancia and Carles, Iloilo.
“The 9th Congress is more than just a leadership and capacity-building event. It is also an avenue to help our youth leaders commit to a deeper sense of nation-building and to awaken the spirit of bayanihan and solidarity,” she said./PN
