Youth Eco Summit: SK’s big share for Kasanggayahan Festival 2012

SK Prov'l Fed Pres. Patrick Rodrigueza

SORSOGON CITY, September 24 (PIA) – Another breakthrough is set for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Sorsogon in time for the 118^th Foundation Anniversary of the Province of Sorsogon comes October 2012. 

The Provincial Government of Sorsogon, headed by the Honourable Governor Raul R. Lee; the Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation, topped by its president, Board Member Patrick Lee Rodrigueza; the Vice-Mayor’s League of the Philippines’ vice-president for Luzon, City Vice-Mayor Robert Ante Lee Rodrigueza; and the Provincial Tourism Office will be at the forefront of a big event dubbed as “Youth Eco Summit 2012” slated from October 13 to 14, this year.

Nonetheless the biggest Youth Eco-Summit in the province, over two thousand delegates from all over the Bicol region is expected as attendees during the summit which collectively, will bring the country’s most respected minds in ecological science to discuss the subject on restoring the ecosystems. 

SK Provincial Federation President Patrick Lee Rodrigueza said the conference will explore pioneering science-based approaches which are socially and culturally suitable to create, manage, and restore the ecosystems. 

It aims to provide a high-profile platform to encourage exchange of ideas among researchers, planners, and decision-makers so as to develop better understanding of the multifaceted nature of ecological systems and deliver the means to safeguard and boost their services for sustainable development.

“Under the theme: Going Green! Protecting the Ecosystem for Sustainable Development, Youth Eco-Summit 2012 will not only empower the youth to oblige frontrunners to address the challenges of ecological development but motivate young adults as well, to be the leaders who will make a difference,” said SK President Rodrigueza.

He also added that the topic likewise harmonizes with the Kasanggayahan 2012’s theme: Sorsogon Paunlarin, Agrikulutura’t Industriya Pasiglahin”, and Sorsogon’s mission to develop into an Eco-Tourism Capital of the Bicolandia, with complementing initiatives in terms of institutional development, legislative actions, and various programmes for health, environment, agriculture, rural development, shelter and tourism currently in place.

Joining forces as Youth Eco-Summit 2012 partners are the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Youth Commission (NYC), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Liga ng mga Barangay, and the Kasanggayahan Foundation Incorporated (KFI).

“Among the issues to be discussed at the high-level gathering are the challenges for the conservation of ecosystem services in the agro-ecosystem of Sorsogon, making sustainability decisions in the electric power industry, and Climate Change Adaptation, between presenters from the national down to the local government, non-government organizations and youth representatives,” the SK official explained.

He said the summit similarly incorporates various activities such as mangrove planting, film presentations on eco-communities, business leaders’ forum/exhibit, the 1^st Eco Night Run, and an environmental band concert which concludes the Youth Eco-Summit 2012 experience.

Meanwhile, it can be noted that last year’s Youth Empowerment Summit was a milestone and youth-participated activity in the Province of Sorsogon during the 2011 Kasanggayahan celebration.

Under the leitmotif: “We Can Lead, We Will Lead, We Will Serve the Church, Community and Environment”, it was also organized by the SK Provincial Federation, led by its president Board Member Rodrigueza, in which up to one thousand youth participants from across the province took part in the momentous event.

SK President Rodrigueza said that based on the number of contributors and active involvement, they were able to achieve the goal of raising awareness among the youth sector as regards to the role they take upon themselves for the church, community and  to the environment.

“It also provided opportunity for the youth to express their concerns with the purpose of creating seemly solutions as their rejoinder to various public issues in progress,” he added. (VAELabalan PIO/BARecebido, PIA Sorsogon)