City Mayor Jane Yap was on center stage as she was the one who delivered the keynote address during the first National Youth Development Alliance Summit (NYDAS) held in Dusit Thani Hotel in Davao City on February 22 to 23, 2023.
The local chief executive of Tagbilaran City emphasized in his speech the strength of collaborative partnerships.
She said: “When we work together, we can pool our resources, expertise, and experience to achieve our goals more effectively and efficiently. This requires a willingness to share information and ideas, to listen and learn from each other, and to work towards common goals. As we move forward, I want to remind our youth leaders that they are a powerful driving force for change. Let’s prioritize key initiatives and work towards a brighter future for our community, with our out-of-school youth at the forefront of our efforts,”
Mayor Yap outlined the accomplishments of Tagbilaran City in partnership with other stakeholders which benefitted the youth of the city. The programs for the youth in this present administration started during the time of former Mayor John Geesnell “Baba” Yap II as mayor of Tagbilaran City.
In fact, former mayor Baba Yap created the Youth Development Alliance of Tagbilaran City (YDATC) which was created and organized to implement the City’s Out-of-School Youth (OSY) Development Programs and Projects. This was further strengthened through the passage of a budget ordinance to finance the youth programs of the city.
Despite facing setbacks during the Coronavirus disease (Covid) pandemic and the onslaught of typhoon Odette, the Youth Development Alliance supported the training of some out-of-school youths under the online programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The City Government of Tagbilaran continues to give scholarships to deserving youth through the Barangay School Assistance Program.