A TOP military official has encouraged the youths to actively participate in nation-building, being the future leaders of the country.
Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera, commander of the 53rd Infantry Battalion (IB), made the words of encouragement during the two-day seminar-orientation last week in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
The seminar-orientation was conducted by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) to empower and strengthen the youth sector.
Herrera told the youth participants of the seminar to recognize their role and take an active participation in nation building and in cultivating a culture of peace.
Herrera said the two-day Orientation on Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS), Peace-building Approaches, and Workshop on Regional Plan on YPS (RAPYPS) focused on the "core," crucial role, and the change the youth represent in today's Philippine society.
He said inputs and recommendations regarding peace and security in their respective communities have been gathered from the youth leaders in crafting the Regional Action Plan, which will then serve as a reference and basis for the crafting of next year's National Action Plan on YPS (NAYPS).
He said the government continuously empowers the youth and takes a proactive effort to make sure they [the youth] are engaged in positive social change.
The two-day seminar was held by Opapp in partnership with the 53IB and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-9. (SunStar Zamboanga)