Iloilo Youth Summit Tackles Education, Mental Health, Advocacy

By Juliane Judilla

Youth leaders, students, and advocates from various schools and community-based organizations gathered on April 9 at Jubilee Hall, St. Clement’s Church, for a summit focused on pressing issues affecting Filipino youth.

The event, titled Halo-Halohan: Diskusyon sa Halo-Halong Isyu ng Kabataan, was organized by the Western Visayas Youth and Students Alliance (WVYSA) and Kabataan Tayo ang Pag-asa (KTAP).

The summit served as a platform for dialogue and action, highlighting youth concerns such as education, employment, mental health, and political participation.

With its theme reflecting the complex struggles faced by young Filipinos, the event aimed to analyze the root causes of these challenges and explore solutions that center on the youth’s collective interests.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel delivered a keynote address, offering a critical assessment of the Philippine education system.

He described the system as “colonial, commercialized, and repressive,” and said it continues to be shaped by foreign influence and profit-driven motives.

Manuel cited key issues including rising tuition and miscellaneous fees, the flawed implementation of the K-12 program, and chronic underfunding across the education sector.

“These lead to overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school facilities, and stagnant wages for teaching and non-teaching personnel,” he said.

“In response to the colonial, commercialized, and repressive education system, we call for one that is nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented,” he added.

He emphasized that such a system must be independent of foreign influence, rooted in the Philippines’ concrete realities, and must uphold the right to free and quality education.

“An education that is free from foreign influence, grounded in a correct analysis of the concrete and material conditions of society, and recognizes the right of everyone to education,” Manuel said.

Anilao Mayor Lee Ann Debuque also expressed support through a solidarity message.

She emphasized the vital role of youth in nation-building and the importance of empowering them to participate in governance, policymaking, and grassroots initiatives.

As the summit ended, participants committed to advancing youth welfare through collective action and sustained advocacy.

Organizers said the summit is part of a broader movement to amplify youth voices and push for structural reforms in education and beyond.