Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
Division of Bohol
PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE
SECOND QUARTER: WEEK 16
Competency ●: Explain issues and programs related to political engagement and youth empowerment (No
code indicated)
Reference : https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-political-participation-definitionforms-
examples.html
https://guardian.ng/features/importance-of-youth-empowerment-in-21st-century/
https://uzochukwumike.blogspot.com/2016/12/importance-of-youth-empowerment.html
https://www.wikihow.com/Empower-Youth
https://hubpages.com/politics/importance-of-youth-empowerment
Copyright For classroom use only

LESSON 1: Issues and Programs Related to Political Engagement

Political participation/engagement

It is simply means that a person is participating in the political process by making his or her opinions and beliefs
known. In the social sciences, the term 'political participation' is often used to describe an action taken by a citizen to
influence the outcome of a political issue promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-
political processes.

❖ Types of Political Participation:

▪ Voting: In a democracy, voting is the single most important form of political participation that a person can take part
in because it ensures that politicians are elected by the people, rather than being assigned to their position of power by
someone else.

▪ Protest: Whether or not it is a constitutional right, as it is in the U.S., public protests are another important form of
political participation because you are making your opinions known in a very obvious way, with the hope that your
actions will influence or initiate change in a particular area of politics.

▪ Public consultations: Like voting, public consultations (which are more commonly known as town hall meetings)
offer ordinary citizens the chance to get together in a group with a politician or elected official in order to make their
opinions and feelings known.

▪ Jury duty: Although most people shudder at the thought of having to attend jury duty, it is an important type of
political participation because it ensures that people who are charged with a crime are judged by people like them,
rather than allowing the outcome to depend entirely on a single person, such as a judge.

❖ Some Most Common Forms of Political Participation:

▪ Signing a petition ▪ Writing a letter to a public official,

▪ Blogging about a political issue, ▪ Donating money to a cause,
▪ Volunteering for a campaign, ▪ Joining an activist or interest group,
▪ Holding a public official position, ▪Attending government meeting/hearing

POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

• National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL)

- It is an election watchdog in the Philippines co-founded by Jose S. Concepcion, Jr., and was its first National
Chairperson. It was formally organized in October 1983 as an offshoot of the New Voters Registration Committee,
which was formed in the 1960s. It has more than 140 benefactors and 125 organizations. Its current national
chairperson is Corazon Dela Paz-Bernardo. Its goal is to ensure "free, orderly and honest elections" in the Philippines.

• Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)

- A non-partisan, non-sectarian non-profit organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines
that works to ensure free, fair and fraud-free elections in the Philippines since 2010. Its activity includes advocating for
electoral reforms, conducting parallel manual auditing in automated elections, coordinating parishes to conduct poll-
watching, providing legal assistance related to elections, reporting of electoral violations, providing voters' assistance
services[clarification needed], and voters' education.

Activity 1
Direction: Analyze the picture and answer the question that follows. Explain your answer in 2 sentences only.

Photo Credit: Signe Wilkinson

What does the picture tell you?

Answer:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

LESSON 2: Issues and Programs Related to Youth Empowerment

Youth Empowerment

Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability,
authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people,
including youth and adults. Youth empowerment is often addressed as a gateway to inter generational equity, civic
engagement and democracy building.

Issues and Concerns for the Youth

> poverty > cultural factors > social inequality

> Poor educational system > lack of support groups > mental health awareness

Some Major Issues and Cases on Youth and Participation

The UN, through the United Nations Development Program, list primary issues relevant to governance and youth
participation. Among these are the following:

1. Young men and women are excluded from policy development given their disappointment with political
leadership and political institutions. This situation leaves political activism of the youth as under- or
unrepresented in formal groupings/organizations.
2. The youth’s participation in governance, including opportunities for engagement, is dependent on different
political, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts.
3. The participation of youth in formal and institutional process relatively low compared to older citizen.

Ways to Empower the Youth:

➢ Encouraging Their Self-Confidence
▪ Tell them that their voice matters.
▪ Help them develop their own sense of purpose.
▪ Don’t view youth as a problem that needs fixed.
➢ Supporting Their Ideas and Actions
▪ Let them come up with their own ideas and causes.
▪ Allow them to struggle and come up short.
▪ Accept that their motivation and focus will change regularly.
➢ Facilitating Empowerment Activities
▪ Support partnerships among youth organizations.
▪ Encourage opportunities to go beyond their comfort zone.
▪ Work with them, instead of doing for them.
Importance of Youth Empowerment

➢ Poverty eradication
One of the keys to empowering the youth is with skill development. When a youth is equipped with essential
skills, he can utilize them to feed, assist others, and even invest for future use, aiding the nation economically.

➢ Good education standard

Empowerment can help youth to understand the importance of education that leads to social improvement of the
country. Empowering the youths academically accelerates the spirit of patriotism in the education sector. Education
exposes people to know what they did not know before.

➢ Good governance
When the youths are empowered, they empower the masses, thereby paving path for a better future.
To build a better tomorrow, we need to nurture the youths of today.

➢ Crime reduction
If the youths in a particular society are empowered on how to live good moral lives, there will be low level of
crimes committed by the young. If they are properly trained, the level of crime will reduce among them.

➢ National Growth
When people who live in a society are developed, the society they find themselves in becomes developed as well.
In fact, the people in the country also develop positively. So, if the youth of the country are empowered and are
progressing, the country will stand to develop as well.

➢ Security
Youth empowerment results to national protection. When youths are trained on security skills, the affairs of
nations are protected

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

• Sangguniang Kabataan
-RA 10742 is known as the “Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015”, the Katipunan ng Kabataan is the
highest policy making body to decide on matters affecting the youth in the barangay. It is composed of 15-30 year old
citizens of the Philippines wgo are residents of the barangay for at least 6 months and duly registered with the
COMELEC or the SK Secretary. The SK is composed of a Chairman and 7 members elected by the Katipunan ng
Kabataan. They must be between 18-24 years old at he time of election. They have a fixed term of 3 years. The SK
will formulate and implement c Comprehensive Barangay Youth Development Plan, which shall serve as basis in the
preparation of the Annual Barangay Youth Investment Program. This plan must be aligned with the national and local
youth development plans in the municipality, city and provincial level.

• National Youth Commission

(Filipino: Pambansang Komisyon sa Kabataan), also known as the NYC, is a government agency in the
Philippines that specifically addresses issues surrounding the Filipino youth founded on June 30, 1995, via Republic
Act 8044 or the "Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995. It is the sole policy-making body on youth affairs, but also
coordinates and implements programs designed to respond to and raise awareness on youth issues. Its mandate is
enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution: "The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and
shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the
youth patriotism and nationalism; and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.

• Philippine Youth Development Plan

The Philippine Youth Development Plan is mentioned in both RA 8044 and RA 10742, the purpose of this
plan is to have a comprehensive and coordinated nationwide delivery system for public and civic services for youth
which are responsive to their needs, to maximize their participation in nation building as responsible members of
society. The basis of the first plan was the National Youth Development Plan as provided for in E.O no. 176, series of
1994. It is revised and updated every three years following a national study on the situation of youth in the
Philippines.

Institutions and Agencies that Deal with the Issues of the Youth
1. National Youth Parliament
2. National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency
3. Sangguniang Kabataan Under the Office of the President
4. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
5. Youth Sectoral Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission
Activity 2:
Program/Project Title
______________________________________________
Description:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Reason for Implementing the Program
__________________________________________________________________________________

Situation: If you were given a chance to implement a program for the Katipunan ng Kabataan to be sponsored by SK
leaders, what program would it be? How will the program able to help your fellow youth? Use the template below for
your answer. An example is provided after template.

ASSESSMENT

Direction: Read each item carefully and encircle the letter of your answer.

1. Which of the following forms of political participation involves citizens to take part in because it ensures that
politicians are elected by the people?
A. Jury duty B. Protesting C.Voting D. None of these

2. Nila carries signs and picket a work place to show her disapproval for their bad labor practices. Which type of
political participation did she portray?
A. Jury duty B. Protest C. Student council D. All of these

3. The following are positive effects of Youth Empowerment, EXCEPT

A. Crime reduction B. Low education standard C. National growth D. Security

4. "Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995 is also known as ___________.

A. Republic Act 8044 B..Republic Act 8014 C. Republic Act 8871 D. Republic Act 8762

5. Which of the following would NOT be a form of political participation?

A. Contacting public officials B. Forming interest group C. Paying taxes D.Voting in elections

6. Which of the following factors are most likely to affect voter participation?
I. Age II. Health status III. Degree of religious participation IV. Number of children V.Gender

A. I, and III only b. I,III, and IV only c. II, III,and V only d. II, IV, and V only

7. An election watchdog in the Philippines which goal is to ensure “free, orderly and honest elections” .
A. Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting C. Commission on Election
B. . National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections D. Local Government Unit

8. Youth empowerment promotes_________.

A. Self reliance B. Youth exuberance C. Pursuit of higher education D. Foreign scholarship

9. It is a council meant to represent the youth in each barangay in the Philippines.

A.Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting C. National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections
B. Sangguniang Kabataan D. National Youth Commission

10. Empowering the youth means to_________.

A. Dishonor the youth voice
B. Disregard their opinion and ideas
C. Don’t include youth in decision-making processes.
D. Willing to share your adult power and privilege in order to make the community a better place.

11. Often used to described an action taken by a citizen to influence the outcome of a political issue.
A. Civil Response B. Political Issue C. Political Participation D.Youth Empowerment