Imee Marcos urges greater youth participation in politics

Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos urged the youth to actively participate in politics and help address important issues such as teenage pregnancy.

Marcos said on Wednesday that despite calls to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) council, she believes youth participation in politics is still important.

“For me, at the end of the day, the purpose remains clear and urgent na yung ating kabataan ay kailangang lumahok (that our youths need to participate),” Marcos said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum.

“Ang dami nilang daldal sa social media, nakikita naman natin ang online activism, dapat talagang sumapi na sila, huwag na lang puro sa social media (They talk a lot on social media, but we see the need for them to participate in online activism),” she added.

The governor said future SK officials should help tackle issues like teenage pregnancy, instead of just holding beauty pageants or organizing basketball games every summer.

“Advised ko na lang sa mga SK, eh tutukan nila yung mga problema ng ating kabataan — siguro yung issue ng teenage pregnancy (I will advise SK officials to focus on youth problems such as teenage pregnancy),” Marcos said.

She noted that teenage pregnancy is on the rise as families are less cohesive because of the OFW phenomenon and despite our Catholic faith. /ee