Students will pretend to be legislators in first PHL model congress

Some 350 college students will get, for one day, a taste of working as legislators for the Philippine republic.

 

The Senate will open its doors on Saturday (July 28) for the first Philippine Model Congress, the very first government simulation program in the Philippines. In it, delegate students will engage in debates, caucuses, committee meetings, and plenary sessions for one whole day.

 

The Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education accredited and sponsored event was organized by Filipino college students from different universities in the hopes of giving the student population a voice on current matters through an immersion in Philippine politics.

 

The Philippine Model Congress is a near copy of the conferences hosted by schools like Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. 

 

The executive board of the first Philippine Model Congress is made up by student leaders Leandro Legarda Leviste, Thomas Rosal, Lance Katigbak, and Tricia Peralta.

 

During a press conference at the Senate on Thursday, Katigbak said the delegates for the event applied online and were selected by the board.  

 

He said the delegates will be coming from Sultan Kudarat, Iligan, Naga, and Baguio.

 

"We were really surprised, we didn't think they would come all the way to Manila just for this...they really are interested in this," he said.

 

Leviste, for his part, said he hopes the delegates would not only learn from the speakers but from their fellow delegates as well.

 

"This [kind of event] is such a rare thing especially in a very divided society [like the] Philippines.  [So] we hope that they can leave the conference with long-lasting friendships [too]," he said.

 

Last July 16, the Philippine Model Congress had announced its set of topics for the faux-legislative committees. The topics will range from economic issues, such as mining and contractualization, to social issues, such as reproductive health and the K-12 program.

 

The conference has lined-up a number of speakers, including former Sen. Richard Gordon, Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian, and journalist Maria Ressa. — DVM, GMA News