Sara Duterte calls on ASEAN to invest in youth while pursuing agenda

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Monday called on member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to "seriously invest" in the youth as it pursues its growth agenda in the next few years.

In her speech for the 55th founding anniversary of the regional organization, Duterte said that focusing on the youth will help ASEAN reach its potential by 2030 while it continuously recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I believe that for ASEAN to be able to successfully pursue its regional agenda, the ASEAN to be able to maintain its strong presence in the world, we should seriously invest in our youth,” she said.

“The young people of ASEAN deserve a future characterized by stability, prosperity, increased mobility, and competitiveness,” she added.

Duterte underscored the importance of quality education in shaping the ASEAN’s future, saying that intra-regional scholarships and cultural exchanges between ASEAN countries should be strengthened.

She also said that it is “high time” to encourage the ASEAN youth to learn each other’s national languages to build meaningful relationships among one another.

“We all know that if we are successful in providing our children with access to quality education, coupled with a deep sense of love of country and fellowmen, our future is secured. One of the ways to involve the ASEAN youth is to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and skill set needed in a highly competitive environment,” she said.

“ASEAN languages may be offered in our schools and universities... I believe it is high time we encourage our youth to learn each other’s national languages. With a collaborative and nurturing environment within our region, we allow our youth to grow and mature as ASEAN citizens while forging meaningful friendships and relationships with their ASEAN neighbors,” she added.

As the DepEd chief, Duterte said that the Philippines is “now aggressively pursuing a future” together with the youth sector in nation building.

She is in favor of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program, which President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is pushing for senior high school students. — BM, GMA News