ILOILO CITY – A total of 59 student officials are now occupying key positions at the city government here as part of the Boys’ and Girls’ Week celebration, October 22-27, organized by the Rotary Club of Iloilo City.
The student officials, led by Ma. Abby Genevieve I. Peñaflorida and Matthew Dominic M. Tagamolila, took their oath of office on Monday before Mayor Jose Espinosa III after the regular flag-raising ceremony. Peñaflorida will act as mayor while Tagamolila as vice mayor.
In her inaugural address, Peñaflorida said the annual celebration, now on its 43rd year, “has become an excellent training ground for new breed of leaders.”
She hoped that their immersion would allow them not just to see the government “up close and personal” but to be able to contribute in responding to challenges on achieving resiliency, sustainability and inclusiveness.
Quoting CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida that the planet is filed with heroes, she reminded youths that the hero in them is just waiting to be discovered.
“To each and every young person, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. You are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream. And collectively, we are the change that this world needs to be,” she said.
Manfred Lepp, project chairman of the celebration, said they have invited private and public schools in the city to send in their two best secondary students to undergo the written examination and interview as part of the process.
“It is a unique leadership program where we are selecting students by a certain procedure who will occupy key positions for a period of one week and experience leadership at the city government,” he said.
The other student officials sit as counterparts of the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and heads of city department and division offices.
Those who sit as student officials at the Sagguniang Panlungsod are expected to join the regular session of the legislative council on October 23. They will also have their own separate session, during which, they are expected to pass their own resolution and ordinances. (Perla Lena/PNA)
