YELG vows to support ‘Kaya Natin’ campaign
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:49:00 08/13/2008
We applaud local government executives Grace Padaca, Eddie Panlilio, Jesse Robredo and Sonia Lorenzo for their efforts to promote ethical leadership and good governance by sharing their best practices and prodding the youth to participate more actively in nation-building.
They can count on us, the Youth for Empowered Local Governments (YELG), to spark change within our schools and communities and radiate this to our local governments. YELG, the youth arm of the Advocacy for Empowered Local Governments Inc. (AELG), is committed to the cause its mother organization champions—the development of local governments in the Philippines into dynamic and capable growth engines not only within their geographic boundaries but all over the country.
Imagine if we have several Grace Padacas, Ed Panlilios, Jesse Robredos and Sonia Lorenzos! Our nation’s problems are so enormous they cannot be solved by the President alone.
It’s high time we gave our local governments a stronger say in our country’s political affairs. Being closer to the governed, they’re in the best position to respond to the needs of our countrymen (but they should submit to citizens’ demands for transparency and accountability). To illustrate this point, let us cite some issues best addressed by local government units (LGUs), as pointed out by University of the Philippines political science professor Dr. Clarita R. Carlos: “First is climate change ... but the battle against global warming attendant to it has shifted on a house-to-house basis. Isn’t it easier to monitor the individual’s carbon footprint than the nation’s carbon footprint? Who can best track this down? Not the national government but the local units.”
Second is waste management. This is certainly a local issue. The national government has neither the means nor the personnel to check how rivers are polluted, creeks are clogged and garbage segregated. Local governments are the primary players here.
The “greening” of corporations is also a local concern. To have mountains leveled off to uncover precious ores, to level the forests to establish commercial sites, to fish the waters are local decisions.
Population management, while viewed as a national concern, can be localized. Through creative decision-making, the LGUs can make it worthwhile for small families to practice responsible parenthood.
Finally, health services are a local concern. The national government may initiate through legislation, but the delivery on the ground is still very much a local matter.
What can the youth do to make local governments responsive and stronger catalysts of growth in our country? If we organize our fervor and logistics well enough, we are a force to contend with. As a starting point, we will keep our peers well-informed of social issues, educated on available and doable strategies, and empowered—through regular channels of dialogue and interaction.
Our movement has just begun, but the speed by which it’s gathering momentum is heartening. The youth is indeed the hope of our future.
FARAH GABRIEL, secretary general, YELG (Youth for Empowered Local Governments), Unit 303 Xanland Place, 323 Katipunan Ave., Quezon City
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