Filipino hero Dr. Jose Rizal—then 18 years old—wrote a poem entitled A La Juventud Filipina for the youth to hold their heads high and make use of their talents and abilities using the iconic line: “Kabataan ang Pag-Asa ng Bayan.”
A century and four decades have passed, and that part of the poem still ripples thru generations, keeping us reminded of the youth’s crucial role in shaping the future of the nation.
Driven by the desire to empower the youth and give them the rightful voice thru improved participation in social issues and local governance, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-7 under the tutelage of its dynamic leader, Regional Director Leocadio Trovela, came up with an initiative dubbed us Batang Kapariz ni Rizal (BATARIZ).
The Regional Office inked a partnership with the Knights of Rizal, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Center for Leaders, and the National Youth Commission for the launching of Dir. Trovela’s brainchild project.
In October 2022, over 200 student leaders gathered in Lapu-Lapu City for Batch 1 of BATARIZ three-day camp that is centered on youth leadership training. The youth leaders participated in activities and discussions that aimed to hone their leadership skills, improve knowledge of local governance, and enhance appreciation of Philippine history.
The schools that were represented were the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F), University of San Carlos (USC), University of Cebu (UC)-Main Campus, UC-LapuLapu and Mandaue Campus, Cebu Normal University (CNU), Cebu Technological University (CTU), University of the Visayas (UV), Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U), and the Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma.
The community youth leaders were from Cebu Province, Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City.
After the camp, the BATARIZ volunteered to help the government in repacking relief goods for the affected families of Typhoon Paeng.
They also geared up in the simultaneous launch of Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA) program for Visayas on November 26, 2022, at the Plaza Independencia in Cebu City.
The next month, Batch 2 of BATARIZ took place with over 150 youth leaders. This time, the University of the Philippines, and youths from Negros Oriental and Bohol joined the activity, together with a new set of participants from various schools and community leaders in Cebu.
“Be reminded of our role and responsibilities as youths in our respective communities. Dream and strive to reach your potential by harnessing skills and talents for the betterment of oneself and contribute to the progressive development of our countrymen,” said Trovela in his message.
DILG-7 then organized the Bangon Kabataan Journalism Workshop for student journalists from December 14 to 16, spearheaded by the region’s Information Unit. The resource speakers were DILG-7 personnel who formerly worked for local media.
Participants were from Silliman University and Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) of Negros Oriental; Holy Name University of Bohol; and seven schools from Cebu, namely: CIT-U, SWU-Phinma, CNU, UV, CTU, UC and USC.