Iloilo Area Conference in Preparation to the National and International Conference for Children and Youth on Environment. 16 October 2009

Iloilo Area Conference in Preparation to the National and International Conference for Children and Youth on Environment. 16 October 2009

Student representatives from 26 schools from the province of Iloilo, Antique, and Negros Occidental met to share their initiatives on environment. The conference is part of the preparatory process that will culminate in June 2010 with the International Children and Youth Conference in Brazil. The Iloilo Area Conference is the first of the Area conferences in the different parts of the country. A representative will be selected for each Area conference to represent the region in the National Conference in Quezon City. The National conference in turn will select the delegates to the International Conference in Brazil.

The Iloilo Area Conference was spearheaded by Rev. Exequiel F. Guanzon of the National Association of Secondary Schools of the Philippines (NASSPHIL) in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), UNESCO-Philippines and the Charter for Human Responsibilities – Philippine Facilitating Team.

Dr. Elsa Consibet of DepEd gave the welcome remarks and Ms. Lourdez Armada of Kaunlaran Learning Center Foundation (Miag-ao) discussed the private school initiative on environmental education. Ms. Ann Baldove, Youth Desk Coordinator of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources led the discussion on coastal and marine resources management. Dr. Ruben Z. Martinez discussed the preparatory process for the National and International Children and Youth Conference in Quezon City and Brazil in 2010.

Participants shared their ideas on how to manage the environment, and promote environmental consciousness. Through their initiatives, the student leaders hope to contribute in mitigating global warming, and enhance bio-diversity conservation of the rich marine and coastal resources of the Visayan Sea. There are lessons to be learned from the past such as the disaster brought in by typhoon Frank and the more recent Ondoy and Pepeng. Student leaders hope to sustain the project they initiated. Some of the proposed projects are already on-going activities which have been initiated by the student leaders, which they hope to continue and expand to engage more student to help in promoting environmental education.

The area conference was capped with the election of the representative to the national conference in February 2010. Blessed Bea Plondaya from Iloilo City was elected as their representative to the national conference. She bested four other candidates nominated by their respective groups. The other nominees are: Jesha Faye Abo-abo of Negros Occidental, Kalil Joshua Socobos of Filamer Christian College, Harjeet Jalaf of St. Anthony’s College, Reyna Fe Quilantang of Kaunlaran Learning Center.

The area conference is just the beginning of the student movement that would contribute to the advocacy for environment. Participants of this conference were inspired by the theme, Let’s Take Care of the Planet, Ating Kalikasan, Ating Pananagutan. Kilusan ng Kabataan, Alay sa Mundo.