Jo Vanne Trivilegio

A.B. Political Science

I found my own Species

The youth does not occupy a special perch outside its social environment. It is very much
part of society. It mirrors the ramifications of the society within which it lives; it shares class and
group loyalties; it engages in struggles for the realisation and defence of concrete social ideals
and interests. Just as in class societies we have divisions into the haves and have-nots, owners of
small enterprises and small plots of land, intellectuals and so on - we do have similar social
gradations among the youth: working youth, students, peasants, petty bourgeoisie, intellectuals,
and exploiters.
School and education is a bridge to all walks of life where it intertwine different social
classes in the society and youth as we know it has not yet defined its role in the society. That is
the duty of the school to introduce different paths that a person can choose and one of those paths
is studying Political Science. Since time immemorial Political Scientist in the whole Western
Visayas and including some parts of Negros never had a convention that would connect and
introduce different cultures of Political Science in the region.
We the Political Science Republic of the University of San Agustin attended the very
1ST CONVENTION OF POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS of REGION VI. It was held at
Conference Room, 4th Floor, Henry Luce Building, Central Philippine University, and Iloilo
City on November 29-30, 2013. I as officer of the Alliance of Political Science Students
organized such event and have chosen the theme Strengthening Good Governance through
Youth Leadership.
Jo Vanne Trivilegio
A.B. Political Science
This convention aims to provide venue for the enhancement of leadership potentials and
skills of students specializing in the field of politics and for exchanges of ideas relevant to the
theme through interactive plenary sessions, group dynamics, forum, team building activity and
holding of competitions such as extemporaneous speaking, oration, poster, essay writing, audio-
visual presentations, debate and Search for Region VI Western Visayas Political Science
Ambassador & Ambassadress. Moreover, this will also be a venue for the election and induction
of officers of the Alliance of Political Science Students in Region VI. We met new friends and
did compete on various competitions that made me realized how to further improve our course.
We also had inspiring speakers on different sectors of the government but to be honest I
failed to be in the plenary sessions because I was quite busy organizing and doing some legworks
but we as the APSSI had invited these speakers to share their experiences and talk on different
specific topics. Like, Hon. Nielex Lex Tupas talk on Good Governance Starts in Youth
Leadership where he focused on the role of youth in nation building. Youth are back bone to the
nation. They can change the future of the society with their well being and courageous
behaviour. They are here to show us that which we have not been willing to look at within
ourselves.
Unfortunately today we find the youth those who are more interested in other places
which are not useful to them as well as nation. They choose to spend their days doing drugs and
playing video games. They spend their nights partying and living it up, so to speak. More and
more young men of this age group are sitting at home in front of their televisions playing games
all day instead of bettering themselves or going to work. They have no vision and if they do have
dreams they do not have drive to make any attempt at achieving them. We must get control of
this. We must motivate other youth and be a catalyst of change. We must teach responsibility and
Jo Vanne Trivilegio
A.B. Political Science
goal setting. I fear if we do not we will soon be supporting an entire generation of homeless and
needlessly on welfare families. Things have to change, with our schools, with the older
generation being good role models, with the older generation being mentors, and with the youth
who are right now doing nothing those of you are in age of teen, you have a choice. You can
allow yourselves to stay your course and do nothing or you can rise above what the cynics
around you expect and go get educated or get jobs. Show the older generation they are wrong
about you. Let them know you have intelligence and skills. Show yourself what you are made of.
You might be surprised at how proud of yourself you become with even the smallest of
accomplishments. I can tell you that nothing can happen if you do not try bad or good. You will
not become rich overnight either way but at least if you make an effort, then you have begun
your journey to your dreams.Key role of youth in society is to renew, refresh & maintain a
civilization.
The role of the youth in national development is becoming able to replace the older
generation as they age. This means the youth should go get education and work experience. That
way they would be ready to takeover when the current generation retires in the future.
Mr. Jo Jan Paul Peol also on his session he talked about The Impact of Youth
Involvement in the Philippine Politics where he stressed how the youth should be involved in
the Philippine governmental processes but I was a little bit disappointed on how he flaunted his
achievements.
With the youth sector comprising roughly a third of the population, there has never been
a better time to invest in young people than now. The Philippines has been making this
investment for more than two decades now from its first forays into youth participation through
Jo Vanne Trivilegio
A.B. Political Science
the Kabataang Barangay of the 1970s, and up to its current form, now known as the Sangguniang
Kabataan. The Sangguniang Kabataan is the quintessential example of child participation in local
governance. It is a testament to the Philippine Governments recognition of the potential of
children and youth to contribute to national development. Though it has been touted as a
landmark institution that promotes the engagement of the youth in governance, this study reveals
a system fraught with deeply-entrenched problems. The study underscores the need for greater
support from adults, especially from barangay leaders who serve as role models for the youth.
The future of good governance rests on the shoulders of the youth. It is imperative that young
people themselves actively take part in their own development and the development of their
communities. The Sangguniang Kabataan is a venue for young people to reach out and engage
their fellow youth in effecting positive change in society.
The importance of strengthening the Katipunan ng Kabataan, or the village youth
assembly, which is the mass base of young people in each barangay from which the SK is
elected. The SK is a challenge to Filipino youth to step up and seize the opportunity to lead and
be heard. But it is an even greater challenge to us adults, to guide and to listen. Indeed, these
young people are the next generation of the nations leaders, and we, as adults, have a
responsibility to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge, attitude and skills to take on
this role. The leaders of today should create an enabling environment for positive youth
engagement and empowerment in order to help shape the leaders of tomorrow.
Youth involvement in Philippine politics is still somewhat limited. One of the reasons is
the weakness of political parties, which in turn often do not have strong youth wings that offer
young people an attractive entry point into politics. This ultimately limits participative
democracy in the country. The decline in the political involvement of younger generations and
Jo Vanne Trivilegio
A.B. Political Science
the decreasing levels of youth participation not only endanger the democratic representativeness
of today, but also jeopardize the democracy of tomorrow.
Through giving the youth representation in the political sphere, by helping the party reach
out to young voters and by giving young people a chance to engage in policy debate and
activism. Youth wings also assist young people in developing skills and networks that will help
them in their careers.
I personally was never a part of Sanguniang Kabataan or any government organizations
that cater youth involvement. There are other Political Students like me who never had
experiences on the government but with first hand information and experiences with these
speakers it really enforced my background on Political Science and the government. This is like
showing me the ropes in the government and how I could be an impact or be involved in the
government with this young age. I am really happy that we organized this event where I learned
and found my own species.