Surigao City village SK enjoins youth for gov’t initiatives vs pandemic

By Doreen Marielle N. Rosales The Sangguniang said that despite the group such as a TikTok Kabataan (SK) of Brgy. pandemic, various competition, spoken Mabua in Surigao City initiatives have been word poetry, and a enjoins the youth to launched by and for the singing contest,” the take part in government youth. youth leader said. initiatives amid the In addition to In support to coronavirus disease 2019 providing relief goods the implementation (COVID-19) pandemic. to the village residents, of distance learning, During the Bisaya they also made sure to they also created the Gyud program episode allocate some for the ‘SK-Wela Tabangan on Saturday, November youth. Program’ aimed to look 7, with Presidential They also launched for donors to support Communications various activities to Mabua Elementary Operations Office commemorate the School and Ipil National (PCOO) Secretary Martin Linggo ng Kabataan held High School, where most Andanar, Martin Dela in August. children in the village are Cruz, chairman of SK – “Various contests enrolled, in their needs to Brgy. Mabua chapter were launched by the effectively implement the

new modes of learning in the present school year. Furthermore, they also launched a free online tutorial service dubbed as ‘Sangguni ng Katalinuhan’ or ‘SK’. “We stand by the belief that the youth is the hope of this nation and providing education is crucial for empowering them. This is our way of lending additional help for learners in our area, especially since learning is now taking place in their homes and teachers cannot facilitate them in going about with their school work,” Dela Cruz said. The project is still in its infancy, with only a few volunteers working for its cause. The SK leader said they are still looking for other personalities they can tap to partake in this

initiative. When asked about the some of the challenges they face in the implementation of the said project, stability of the internet connection in their area is a primary concern. Nonetheless, they are doing their best to persevere just to lend assistance to the learners in Brgy. Mabua. At the end of his guesting, SK chairperson Dela Cruz urged his fellow youth to be more adaptive to the present circumstances and persevere despite the challenges. “I understand that all of us are experiencing difficulties due to this health crisis, especially since we, the youth, are expected to experience life outside the comfort of our homes at this point in our life. However, we also have to put in mind that everyone’s life is at stake here and our safety is paramount given the circumstances. We must always keep in mind that this health crisis spared no one so must, therefore, do our part to get by with the situation,” he said. ‘Bisaya Gyud’ is a weekly public service and entertainment program hosted by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar aired on select radio stations across the country and streamed live on its official Facebook page, https:// www.facebook.com/ bisayagyudph, every Saturday. The program was initially launched to provide assistance to underprivileged Bisaya and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). At the height of the pandemic, the program also devoted its episodes to addressing various issues of the Bisayas concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Its ‘Operation Tabang’ is launched to extend medical and food assistance to Bisaya all over the country, especially those who suffered greatly due to the health crisis. The program also launched its Bond Paper Gift project, which aims to assist schools in rural areas in effectively implementing distance learning by providing reams of bond papers to be used for the production of learning materials. The program also explores Bisaya music and artists, and features Bisaya success stories. (DMNR/PIA-Caraga)