MANILA, Philippines?Martyred national leader Benigno ?Ninoy? Aquino Jr. was among the leaders with moral courage who were held up as role models for the 74 students from 41 schools who attended the 2008 edition of the Ayala Youth Congress.

In his keynote address, Ayala Corp. chair and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said moral courage referred to the strength of character to do what was right and necessary even in the face of possible risks to one?s reputation, well-being, self-esteem or even life itself.

?Without courage and without convictions,? Zobel said, ?a leader is but a cheer leader, a pied piper, perhaps a moving orator. Without principled action, our leadership may merely take the form of debates and perorations that will not have any impact on the situation at hand.?

The focal point of the youth leadership camp was that the youth must strive to develop not just academic excellence but also a more difficult form of leadership, one characterized by moral courage.

A good leader must have a good sense of responsibility for the things around them. It was also not enough to be morally upright, and here Zobel cited the case of nun-saint Mother Teresa.

Zobel said the nun-saint didn?t just pray. ?She also acted, she organized, she raised funds and she transformed her sense of responsibility for the poor into a life of servant leadership.?

Strength of character

Along with Mother Teresa, Zobel cited as models of moral courage peace advocate Mahatma Gandhi, human rights leader Martin Luther King, and Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Ayala Corp. chair also named Aquino, whose assassination on Aug. 21, 1983, is being observed on Monday as a national holiday, as well as the martyr?s widow, former President Corazon Aquino, Filipino-American in the US Armed Forces Antonio Taguba and murdered Navy Ensign Philip Andrew Pestaño, among others.

Zobel said he cited the bigger names only because they were people who made a huge difference.

?I mentioned names from another setting and another time because they provided good leadership within their own spheres. What I am saying is that ordinary people can exhibit good leadership potentials through their own extraordinary acts of selflessness.?
But can youth leaders still learn from negative actuations of supposedly present-day role models in the government and in the military?

Learn from political antics

Judy Valera, a military science student at the Philippine Military Academy, said he was not bothered by all the politicking in Congress and the Senate.

?I am determined to develop my leadership skills and I am focused on that. I treat their antics as a lesson on who we should and?should not?emulate,? he added.

Psychology major Johayrah Mindalano from the Mindanao State University admitted that not all our elected officials were good leaders but they didn?t disappoint her.

?What they are doing all the more strengthens my passion to really work and become a good leader. Their wrongdoings give us more challenge to do better.?

Elementary education major Michelle Mae Olvido from the Cebu Normal University said she was actually writing down where our national leaders had failed and noting those who were setting a good example.

?When [we] are confronted by bad examples in the national arena,? Olvido said, ?I turn to people who can inspire and help me grow in the right direction.?

Ayala president Fernando Zobel de Ayala said youth leaders must actually self-reflect and figure out the role models who address present-day challenges.

Different challenges

?It?s their generation that is at stake and so they must define their own values and take it from there. The problems now are different and the challenges equally different. There may be situations only unique to this generation and thus they should define new leadership qualities and drive them in a better way with better results.?

Concluded AYLC director Simon Mossesgeld: ?What we are telling our youth leaders in this congress is that it is not enough to be good in your chosen field. They should also develop a sense of responsibility for what is happening around them. They must also be good at helping the less fortunate sector of society.?