More than simply honoring the contribution of its youth, the city government of San Pedro, Laguna wants to engage them in exploring – and sharing – its rich culture and heritage.
This mindset took center stage during two key events hosted by the city government last week: the culmination of the Linggo ng Kabataan celebrations held last August 18, and the “Kaagi: Talastasan sa Kasaysayan at Kultura 2025” held last August 22.
Recognizing the youth
The culmination activity for Youth Week, held at the San Pedro City Astrodome, was the ideal venue not only to honor outstanding young San Pedrenses but also give them a chance to air their issues, their aspirations and their hopes for the future.
Aside from honoring the Junior City Officers and the Junior City Department Heads, as well as outstanding San Pedrense youngsters and youth organizations, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President and Local Youth Development Council Chairperson Raphael Antonio Ty, in his State of the Youth Address reported not only the issues affecting his sector bus also the programs of the city government aimed at addressing those issues.
Chief among these measures is the passage of the San Pedro City Youth Code, in which the rights and responsibilities of each San Pedrense youth were codified into a binding law that the LGU must uphold.
“Sa mga kabataan ng San Pedro, ang lahat ng ating ginagawa—mga programa,
ordinansa, pagkilala at plano—ay nakaugat sa isang simpleng paniniwala: na ang
kabataan ay hindi lamang kinabukasan, kundi ang kasalukuyan,” Ty emphasized in his speech.
Discovering History
Meanwhile, the "Kaagi: Talastasan sa Kasaysayan at Kultura 2025", held at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines' San Pedro campus, aims to raise awareness and consciousness among San Pedrense youth of their own city’s rich culture and heritage.
According to Michael Tabuyan of the City Tourism, Arts and Culture Office (CTCAO), the event, held since 2023, is part of efforts of his office to promote local history and culture.
“Napansin kasi namin na yung mga existing publications on San Pedro’s history and culture, tumatanda na. Baka kailangan pa natin mag-research further. Do we need to update what we know? And from there, mas makikilala natin ang kultura natin,” Tabuyan told OpinYon Laguna.
Aside from lectures by prominent professors and historians such as Eufemio Agbayani of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and Dr. Wensley Reyes of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, students from various schools in San Pedro City and beyond presented their own studies on various historical and cultural aspects of the city.
The CTCAO head added that the main challenge for his office is how to present these academic studies in a way that will be accessible and understandable for ordinary San Pedrenses.
“Paano ba maiintindihan ang mga nasa labas ng paaralan, ng mga normal na mga tao, yung kasaysayan natin? Kasi naging critique din sa academia, na nasa ivory tower yung mga scholars. Parang wala silang pakialam sa paligid nila. Pero hindi, kailangan ang bumbaba. Kasi ang kasaysayan naman ay pag-aari ng lahat. So, dapat naiintidihan din ito ng mga tao,” he emphasized.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews