Youth urged to engage in leadership events for good governance

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A Catholic priest urged young people engage in leadership activities that will give equip and prepare them for leadership roles in the future.

Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, stressed the need for young people to immerse in leadership activities that will give them the discipline and knowledge necessary for good governance.

Lance Katigbak, a UP student and a Youth for Christ (YFC) member is one of the student-organizer of the 1st Philippine Model Congress. Photo Courtesy: Lance Katigbak facebook account.

But he also believes present legislators and politicians should analyze the flaws and loopholes in the prevailing legal and political system and find ways to correct them to make way for the future leaders, the youth of the present.

“It is ordinary practice for us to borrow…foreign ideas and concepts that set aside our indigenous wisdom and knowledge. I believe [the attitude] should be to harness the local ingenuity which is more rooted and adapted to our consciousness,” Garganta expressed.

He emphasized that at the moment, our country seems to lack qualified and sincere leaders, but the youth can change this when their time comes to be leaders of our nation.

When asked about the recently-concluded Model Congress, the priest also believes if it could promise to bring out the best in new blood and could give the nation leaders with a conviction about true service, the event must continue.

On July 28, more than 400 high school and college students from different colleges and universities in the country attended the 1st Philippine Model Congress, which was convened in the Philippine Senate.

The student-organizers of the 1st Philippine Model Congress poses for a group picture. Photo Courtesy: Lance Katigbak facebook account.

The activity was the first government simulation program to give students a voice on current matters through immersion in Philippine politics.

Student organizers believe the conference will take youth leadership and involvement to greater height by engaging in debates, caucuses, committee meetings and plenary sessions for the student-participants to accurately experience and appreciate the proceedings of the law-making process. (Jandel Posion)