𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐅𝐒𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇: ‘𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄’ BAROTAC NUEVO, Iloilo — What began as a forum on women’s rights, youth leadership, and the Sustainable Development Goals soon became a conversation about questions young people are already carrying with them.
Senator Risa Hontiveros met with around 700 students of the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) at the Main Campus–Tiwi Site on September 26 for the Youth Forum on Leadership and Local Action, themed “Young Voices, Equal Futures: Women and Youth Leading the SDGs in Our Communities.”
Her keynote, “Equal Futures Begin Locally: Women’s Rights, Youth Leadership, and the SDGs,” brought the SDGs closer to students’ everyday lives—from education, health, and work to equality, climate concerns, and community participation.
Hontiveros stressed that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires giving young people the space and support to take part, especially in health, education, equality, climate action, and the economy.
“I have no doubt that if we in public service, in government, really give our all to support you young people, you will also be able to give back to your communities, to our country,” she told the audience.
She later reminded them that the future is not something young people simply wait for. “It is you who will inherit and shape our collective future,” Hontiveros said.
The message echoed a central idea of the forum: young people do not have to wait for a title, diploma, or career to get involved. They can already take part in community life and help shape conversations on education, health, employment, and governance.
STUDENTS BRING THEIR QUESTIONS TO THE SENATOR
The open forum made the conversation more personal, as students asked Hontiveros about issues affecting their lives and communities.
Among them was the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), a timely concern for young people involved in local governance. The discussion touched on the move of the elections from November 2026 to November 2028 and the longer terms for barangay and SK officials.
Students also asked about government support for education and job opportunities after graduation. Hontiveros spoke about strengthening the education system, supporting teachers, and preparing young people for a changing workplace, including the growing presence of artificial intelligence.
She stressed that improving education goes beyond budget figures. Teacher salaries and benefits, professional development, and the quality of learning matter just as much.
Another student brought the conversation to health care and mental wellness, asking how students, youth leaders, and young professionals can help shape health policy rather than simply receive services.
Hontiveros spoke about preventive and primary care, mental health services, health workers, financing, and the importance of giving young people a voice in policy discussions.
She also recalled the role of young advocates in pushing for the Philippine Mental Health Act. Senate records show that Hontiveros authored Senate Bill No. 1190, which was later consolidated into the measure that became Republic Act No. 11036; she sponsored the consolidated bill in the Senate.
For students in the room, the discussion made mental wellness less abstract. It brought the issue back to familiar places, the classroom, guidance office, peer groups, families, workplaces, and communities where people often first look for help.
THE CONVERSATION WILL CONTINUE
Time allowed only a handful of questions, but organizers made sure the conversation would not end with the program.
Additional questions from the ISUFST community will be gathered through the University’s official platform, collated, and forwarded to Hontiveros for her consideration.
This gives students who were unable to approach the microphone another chance to raise concerns about education, employment, health, mental wellness, governance, and other issues that matter to them.
It was a fitting promise for an afternoon built around young voices. A youth forum matters not only because young people are invited to listen, but because they are also given the chance to ask, and to be heard.
For ISUFST, the gathering brought a national policymaker into a distinctly local conversation: students asking about their education, future jobs, mental health support, their place in governance, and whether their voices can make a difference.
Not every question had a simple answer. But perhaps that was part of the forum’s value—creating a space for young people to ask, listen, participate, and recognize that leadership can begin right where they are. (PAMMCO | AI)
