A Symposium to Empower the Youth

LOS BAÑOS, PHILIPPINES – Hundreds of students flocked to the DL Umali Auditorium this morning to attend the symposium entitled, “Youth Republic IV: Youth Empowerment” where three people—Alex Castro, Lourd de Veyra and Ramon Bautista—would talk about various timely concerns for the youth.

For the opening message, Arthur Kent Holt, the second-time USC councilor, went to the stage and gave an inspiring speech to the students. He first defined what the Youth Republic is. “It is a form of organization, government affirmation governed by the youth,” he explained.

He specified the three important points which are very integral to Youth Empowerment: leadership, service, and standard. Leadership, he said, was the “capacity to translate vision into reality.” Later on in his message, he added, “You not just lead people; you lead people with a standard. [...] As an Iskolar Para sa Bayan, you are a vital part, a vital power part, of the society.” 

Alex Castro, a BS Psychology graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman and the vice chair of its University Student Council, was the first speaker for the symposium. A bisexual woman, she thoroughly discussed about the topic of gender equality. She tackled the “thirteen un-empowering statements” that we use most of the time, without the slightest idea that they are actually considered “oppressive” for the LGBT community. 

Majority of what she mentioned might seem relatively harmless in the surface, but she reiterated that they are actually oppressive statements. It’s wrong to pattern all relationships in heterogeneous ones and to label other people’s sexuality, Alex Castro emphasized, among many other things.

“What we want is that at the end of the day, you treat us equally,” she said.

The second speaker is Lourd de Veyra – a musician, journalist, and broadcaster – focusing on the topic of “non-apathy.” He said that the part of Alex Castro was the only serious one the audience would be hearing in that symposium, pertaining to the laughter and cheer of the students because of his humor and wit.

He voiced his concern about service and excellence, and how the former is being more exemplified in UP, when excellence is the one that should be attended to first. 

“Nagbago na ba ang mukha ng pakikibaka?” he asked. Then he cited some cases that were serious in nature and showcased the reality. Lourd inquired: when you turned your display picture to black, were you able to feed people in Somalia? 

While his speech was humorous in some parts, it was very serious in nature. Again, he made an interrogation that would make one pause and ponder: What are we doing with the internet? He said how it became what it is now because of the industrial revolution and constant struggles, but people nowadays would only use it to google Justin Bieber, who, he went on, was the most searched person in the history of search engine.

He also mentioned the concept of “nosebleed” for us Filipinos, and asked why we would make fun of someone when he or she is saying intelligent things, or perhaps uttering unfamiliar words with deep meaning.

“Kailan pa naging masama ang katalinuhan?” asked Lourd. Then, to put a closure to his brief lecture, he said: “Bago natin palayain ang bayan, palayain muna natin ang kamangmangan.”

The last speaker was Ramon Bautista, who was met with wild cheers by the students as his name was being announced. His topic was all about “literacy.” He discussed the social media, and how it is characterized by his modification of the 3Gs: guts, glory, and gold.

He compared this with his own experience. Because he had the necessary guts and self-esteem, he was able to make videos of himself together with his friend. Soon enough, it transformed into glory when he started to become famous. Lastly, it was turned into gold once sponsors poured in and bought his videos, and when he finally became a celebrity. 

Ramon Bautista played some of his videos, particularly: Dan Michael Master Magician and his music video. Later on, he stated three very important things needed for one to be empowered: to study hard, to build relationships, and to steer clear of love.

As a parting message, he gave this advice to the students: “Huwag umibig.”