By Perla Lena/PNA
ILOILO CITY — The institutionalization of a leadership academy program for the youth in Iloilo City got the nod of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) during its last regular session for the year, which was held Wednesday afternoon.
Authored by Councilor Lady Julie Grace Baronda, the approved “Iloilo City Leadership Academy (ICLA) Ordinance” started as an advocacy platform for young leaders to excel in their chosen cause.
“We wanted to build a sustainable and impactful training program for the most promising leaders of our society—our youth,” Baronda said.
The program will have three strands: shaping leaders, youth congress and youth laboratory.
Baronda said under the shaping leaders strand, there will be training, programs and projects specializing in leadership, values and development.
There are four training programs composed of fellowship training, crash course, short course and collaboration programs.
The youth congress will focus on the development of barangay youth leaders to be handled by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).
“Each batch of the congress shall have their youth congressman/woman who shall lead their batch for any activities they may engage to in the future,” she said.
The youth laboratory will serve as “a network that shall be composed of all registered youth organizations, school government presidents and the Sangguniang Kabataan”. It shall be known as the “Ilonggo Youth Lab”.
A commission, with the city mayor sitting as its director, will oversee the implementation of the ICLA and the Iloilo City Youth Development Division as its secretariat.
Way back in 2017, the final platform was approved by former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog with the vision of making it as the “mother program of all youth trainings in the City of Iloilo”.
Out of the more than 200 interested applicants seeking a slot for the fellowship program, only 40 were chosen. Of the participants, 14 completed the requirements and implemented their individual advocacy.
They underwent six months continuous training with the support of the administration of Mayor Jose Espinosa.
The 14 served as pioneer graduates of the ICLA and officially called as ICLA Fellows.
Baronda said that Iloilo City is the first local government unit to have this kind of program in the country and she envisioned that it will be replicated by other cities in the future.
