Surigao Norte youths attend leadership summit

AT LEAST 60 youths participated in the three-day Provincial Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) from December 15 to 17, held at the Tesda Provincial Community Training Center in Brgy. Bad-as, Placer, Surigao del Norte.

Captain Jonel G. Castillo (INF) PA Civil-Military Operations Officer, 901st Brigade, 9ID, Philippine Army, confirmed this information in a phone call.

He stated that the activity is part of the government’s efforts to prevent youth from the influence of radicalization and recruitment from various groups.

Castillo emphasized the need to protect vulnerable youth, especially from recruitment by the New People’s Army (NPA). He added that the goal is not only to safeguard them from being recruited by communist rebels but also to shield them from drug addiction, which could potentially ruin their futures.

The 61 youth participants include 31 Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and 30 non-IPs from various barangays and municipalities in the province. The activity was facilitated by the Pointy-Surigao del Norte Chapter (Propelling Our Inherited Nation Through The Youth) and was conducted in collaboration with the provincial government of Surigao del Norte, according to Castillo.

During the closing ceremony, Colonel Arsenio Sadural, commander of the Army’s 901st Infantry Brigade, served as the guest of honor and speaker. Sadural underscored the Philippine Army’s mission to engage the youth and encourage their active involvement in becoming responsible citizens and advocates of the government’s peace and development initiatives.

With the vision of “a transformed and empowered youth fulfilling their roles in building a morally and spiritually upright society,” Sadural expressed his belief in the potential, aspirations, intelligence, and passion of the young participants.

He pledged continued collaboration with Pointy as partners in peacebuilding, citing the effectiveness of their partnership in protecting and preventing youth from the influence of radicalization.