1st Youth Empowerment Summit 2009 in Bikol Set

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 13 - All preparations are in place for the holding of the 1st Youth Empowerment Summit '09 set on October 23 to 25, this year sponsored by the Philippine Navy-Naval Forces Southern Luzon (NAVFORSOL) here.

Navy Commodore Joel Babas NAVFORSOL commanding officer said the summit dubbed as "Kabataan, Ngayon na" will be participated in by 150 youth from Albay at Costa Rita Resort in Sto. Domingo town in Albay.

Babas said the summit aims to enhance youth awareness and active participation to community-based programs, which will contribute to personality development and social consciousness.

These activities will include team building sessions, promote advocacy on strengthening disaster risk management at the community level, orient each participant on climate change and its effect, and to develop youth's social consciousness and responsibility towards community development.

The three-day training was under the auspices of the Navy in cooperation with the Bicol University (BU) - University Student Council and United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines (UNYAP), a conduit partner of NAVFORSOL as part of the multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach towards the realization of the advocacy program.

"We have engage the most dynamic and valuable stakeholder in the community, the youth sector, as our partners in youth empowerment," Babas pointed out.

The summit expects the participants to be empowered with renewed techniques in managing their duties and responsibilities in their respective community.

The training will teach the youth to respond to the current issues and concerns of society and challenged to initiate programs or projects that they may execute in their community-based organizations for a positive change, and be more motivated in rendering service towards the betterment of their area, through meaningful and responsible actions.

Disaster authorities said the country is constantly visited by calamities with a high frequency of occurrence, with severe consequences in losses.

They said calamities have impacted adversely on the economic development and social stability of various communities with this program.

With this, there is a need to rally the support of government and non-government institutions in order to prevent emergencies, mitigate their effects and ensure the provision to those in need.

It is in this context that the Navy and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bikol have collaborated on various activities to develop consciousness and implore support of various sectors on strengthening disaster risk management at the community level.

The program would focus on the need to take a proactive stance on the holistic concept of disaster risk management instead of mere disaster response and to involve and enhance the risk management capability of the local government units.

Earlier, the Navy and other members of various sectors convened the 1st Bicol Stakeholder's Summit last August 29, 2009 here to promote DRR advocacy.

During the forum, the general assembly affirmed its unequivocal support on the passing of Senate Bill 3086 titled: "Strengthening Philippine Disaster Risk Management by Institutionalizing the National Disaster Risk Management Framework, Appropriating Funds therefore and other Purposes."(PNA)