The Sipalay City Local Youth Development Office is one of the 25 LYDOs and Sangguniang Kabataan Councils in the country that will receive national awards for outstanding work at rites in Iloilo City on June 12.
In the Facebook page of the Philippine Sangguniang Kabataan Awards, it said that out of 483 submissions this year, Sipalay was one of the 25 awardees.
Sipalay City is one of the two local government units to receive the award, the other one being the Local Youth Development Office of Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.
Sipalay City Mayor Gina Lizares said that she is happy with the recognition as it is the first time that the city’s LYDO has been awarded on a national level.
The city government has been serious in implementing the functions of the youth development office in collaboration with the Sannguniang Kabataan, various youth groups and youth-serving organizations since 2019, Lizares said.
Katherine Maguad-Jocame, Local Youth Development Officer of Sipalay City, said since the pandemic, they have been implementing programs for the Sipalaynon youth by collaborating with the SKs and other national and international partners like the US Embassy and the National Youth Commission-Region 6.
Jocame said that their LYDO had lobbied for the passage of the Local Youth Development Plan twice for 2019 to 2022 and 2023 to 2025.
They have also facilitated the registration of 16 youth groups with the NYC for them to sit in the Local Youth Development Council.
“Amid the challenges and difficulties that the SCYDO encountered, I am confident that we have the right youth leaders and community development officers in our team who are committed to accomplish the tasks and pursue impactful youth programs for the city and the province,” the mayor said.
Jocame said that projects are ongoing to capacitate the local youth of Sipalay and assured of their continued collaboration with their SK councils.
“This award brings limelight to the work of LYDO and how they can be a support system for SK councils instead of looking at them as competition in pushing projects for the Sipalaynon youth,” she added.*