DAVAO CITY—Gathering  close to a hundred youth leaders from all five provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Citizens Coalition for ARMM Electoral Reforms, Inc. kicked off its three-day Regional Youth Leadership Camp (RYLC) on April 28, 2012 in Davao City with the theme, “Nurturing the Bangsamoro Youth Leaders through Electoral Reforms Towards Better Governance.” The RYLC targets a cross section of ARMM youth leaders who participated in the series of provincial youth leadership camps conducted in September 2011. The modules for the RYLC include Leadership, Governance, Right of Suffrage, and Advocacy through Social Media and Networking. At the end of the RYLC, participants will craft an Action Plan that will comprehensively discuss election issues that affect them and identify avenues for engagement they could utilize as they work together with Citizens CARE to effect electoral reforms in the region.

Throwing his full support behind the youth participants, ARMM’s Acting Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman graced the event. In his welcome message, he outlined his administration’s thrust and areas of reform for a better ARMM. Among those he identified was to institute electoral reforms. Having been an active youth activist, he challenged the participants to continue their advocacy and assured them of his continued support. “Election is the very foundation of a legitimate government. An honest government should be headed by officials who are elected into office through clean and honest elections,” Hataman said. “As the future generation, your active involvement now in electoral reforms attests to your desire to achieve a better future for yourselves. Getting educated on issues that matter most to your future is a step towards realizing a better ARMM government,” Hataman emphasized.

He will sign a Memorandum of Understanding together with the RYLC participants as a gesture of his sincerity in partnering with the youth as an enabling partner for reforming the ARMM. 

The participants responded to Acting Governor Hataman’s challenge to become active agents of change. They also support the idea of supporting the full implementation of biometric registration nationwide especially in the ARMM to realize the interface of biometrics and voting machine for the May 2013 midterm elections.

In line with Citizens CARE’s plan of expanding its voter education beneficiaries to include persons with disabilities, Mr. Armando Amancio, a member of AKAP-Pinoy based in Davao City, delivered a presentation that focused on ensuring the PWD’s inclusion in the electoral processes. After the lecture, the participants agreed to encourage and include not only PWDs, but other vulnerable sectors as well such as indigenous peoples and internally displaced persons to be part of their organization and advocacy.

Jumda Saba-ani, Citizens CARE Chairperson, explained that aside from the modules that will be used during the event, the RYLC will also build strong camaraderie and strengthen interpersonal relationships among the participants with diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs. They will showcase their province’s unique tradition and practices during the cultural night. They will also take part in the traditional games event slated on the second day.

Keith Einstein Pon, a youth participant from Tawi-Tawi looks forward to the activities of the RYLC. ”Despite being a Christian in a predominantly Muslim region, I never felt that I was different from the rest of my Moro friends. I realize that we share the same issues and experiences. We all have the same aspiration, and that is to have a better ARMM,” he says.

The first RYLC is under Citizens CARE’s project entitled “Strengthening Electoral Process through Voters Education and Election Monitoring in ARMM - Phase 4” made possible through the technical assistance of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and financial support from the United States Agency for International Development.