Pinoy Youth

The National Heroes’ Day came and went on August 31. Is the sense of heroism still alive among the Filipino youth?

The Manila Times Editorial didn’t think so. But perhaps, the lament is not only directed to the youth but to the overall Filipino society:

“It is not just the youth, though.The majority of Filipinos in every generation—young and old—do not have the proper sense of history, no thirst for knowledge about our heroes and the conditions they labored in, no wish to learn what the Filipinos of earlier generations did to survive and develop, what amused them, what made them weep, what gave them joy.”

Let’s break down these accusations and try to address them one by one.

No Proper Sense of History. Filipinos, in general, do not have a strong sense of history. This can be seen in the way that the voters keep on electing people accused of wrongdoing against the Filipino society in the past. In this time and age of globalization and increasing online connectivity, most young people become interested in computers, fashion and gadgets.

Bantayog ng mga Bayani

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Amazingly, there’s Wi-Fi access here at the Carwash service I chose along Quirino Avenue near San Jose del Monte Bulacan. The van needs cleaning! Ugh. Quite a number of bugs courageously beat against my windshield last night as we traversed the SCTEX from Victoria, Tarlac.

Technically, it was morning already when we passed through SCTEX. Together with Earlie and Aaron (national leaders of the Methodist Youth), I went to Victoria to deliver a talk on youth leadership. I talked to about 30-40 youth on what it means to be a leader. To make my talk interesting, I didn’t simply present principles of leadership. Instead, I drew upon the story of John Wesley’s life from his childhood, his life as founder and member of the Holy Club at Oxford University to his career as an itinerant preacher and founder of a movement. Alongside John Wesley, I also presented the life of Nelson Mandela and how he became instrumental in ending apartheid in South Africa.

My talk was done at about 9:15 in the evening. But I shared coffee time with the national leaders who are also my friends. We ended up leaving Tarlac at 12 midnight. Whew. I was sleepy while driving. Thankfully, Aaron and Earlie kept me company. I arrived home (at Tala, Caloocan City) by 3:30 AM. Exhausted and wanting to simply get some rest.

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I’ve been through a lot in the past three weeks. Went to Baguio City for a consultation on May 19, 2009; spearheaded the Student Methodists Active in Campus Kirk Forum on May 20-23, 2009. I had a day’s respite in Manila on June 23. After that, I had to fly to Davao for a consultation with my boss from Nashville. We had a great time in chatting with youth and young adult leaders in the Mindanao area. Fun and laughter mingled with all the serious (supposedly) talks on leadership and issues being faced by youth and young adults in the Mindanao area.

Working wasn’t exactly tedious. We did our consultations in the morning and then we toured around Davao in the afternoon. Thanks to the kindness of Kuya Larry (of Davao City Cathedral UMC), Ronald Soriano (the son of a bish… Bishop that is), and Oliver Inis of the National United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines. Special thanks, too, to Ms. Janet MaCarthy of the Southern Philippines Methodist College for the delicious catfish lunch and the great chat about Methodism and ministry in Kidapawan City.

I am now preparing the reports related to the SMACK Forum. Whew. Gotta activate my left brain so I could complete the reports. Ugh! Numerical figures make my head swim!! But I gotta finish it.

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I am now sharing an office with Rev. Homer Wesley Refuerzo at the Philippine Christian University Doctor of Missiology Program. Good thing is I don’t have to pay rent. heheh. At least, I am still in the midst of lots of students, who are of course, young people.

Been going through lots of transition lately. Sister went to Hong Kong to work; we moved to another house at Tala, Caloocan City, which is quite far from the world of Quezon City, which I love so much.  It’s about 15 minutes away from SM Fairview. And SM Fairview is like 45 minutes away from the Pantranco area. I’m still contemplating the right arrangements I will make. I might move back to the former apartment I stayed at (with friends) in Quezon Avenue. We’ll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, I’m going to continue working for young people’s ministries in the United Methodist Church.

By the way, I’m checking out the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and Brett Harris. I’m liking it. As soon as I’m done reading it, I’ll share my thoughts with you.

Do check The Rebelution Blog. It talks about teens going beyond the low expectations of people from teenagers.

The Philippine Bible Society is sponsoring an event for young people so they can be more aware of how the Bible can help them in their lives and the issues that they have to face.

As part of the revitalization of Pinoy Youth, I have been thinking about the issues that Filipino youth are experiencing nowadays. I have dwelt on issues about the OFW phenomenon and how it is affecting the Filipino youth. Internet and video-game addiction is another issue being faced by the Filipino youth and that’s something that transcends economic class. Whether we as young people are aware of these issues or not, they do affect our lives.

The problem is, it is difficult to get young people to think through these things. Besides, if this blog talked about issues and problems all the time, how boring could that get? Heheh. So, Pinoy Youth will also feature the things that young people love–music, websites, social networking, bands, movies, books and a whole lot of things. It will also feature the lives of young people who made history!

The Pinoy Youth Blog is a work in progress. So as time unfolds, we’ll see how this blog evolves.