MANILA – The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) has urged a whole-of-society approach to allow young Filipinos to reach their full potential and turn their aspirations into reality.
At the opening of the World Population Day 2026 Youth Aspirations Forum held at the Rizal Technological University in Mandaluyong City on Thursday, CPD Deputy Executive Director Lolito Tacardon said this year’s event underscores the need to look beyond population figures and focus on the challenges and opportunities facing Filipino youth of today.
“Public policy is often guided by numbers. But behind every statistic is a young person with hopes, relationships, decisions to make, and a future to build,” he said.
Tacardon said the event is an opportunity to actually listen to young people, noting that every generation faces its own set of opportunities and challenges.
“Today's young people are growing up in a world shaped by rapid technological change, economic uncertainty, climate risks, evolving family structures, and changing social expectations. Yet despite these realities, one thing remains remarkably constant: young people continue to dream,” he said.
He said families, schools, communities, government, and development partners should come together and create the conditions that would allow those aspirations to flourish.
Tacardon stressed that while young Filipinos continue to dream of completing their education, finding meaningful work and improving their lives, many encounter obstacles that make those goals increasingly difficult to achieve.
Citing the findings of the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child, he said that while Filipino children maintain strong ambitions from childhood through adolescence, the research shows that their opportunities often narrow over time.
"What changes is not the dream. What changes is the pathway toward achieving it," he said.
The study, he said, found that financial hardship, the need to work, mental health concerns, bullying, violence, early pregnancy, and early unions often limit young people's educational and life opportunities.
He said the findings reinforce the need for sustained investments in education, health, nutrition, mental health, decent work opportunities and safe communities, adding that these should be viewed as interconnected efforts rather than stand-alone programs.
Tacardon also emphasized that supporting young people is a shared responsibility among families, schools, communities, government agencies, civil society, and development partners.
"Investing in young people is not simply a social responsibility. It is a strategic investment in our country's future," he said.
"If we truly want the Philippines to become more prosperous, more resilient, and more inclusive, then we must work together to ensure that every young Filipino has the opportunity—not merely to dream and aspire—but to realize those dreams," he added. (PNA)
