Life Today PH

MANILA — Girl and child rights organization Plan International Pilipinas is calling on incoming Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and barangay leaders nationwide to champion health, education, gender equality, and child protection as the country prepares for the SK and Barangay elections and this year’s Linggo ng Kabataan.

The call was highlighted in Samar on Aug. 11 during SIRAK Day, where Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara joined an estimated 1,000 youth leaders to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sirak Kabataan movement.

The gathering, along with other youth training initiatives, underscored the enthusiasm and leadership capabilities of Filipino youth, as well as the urgent challenges they will need to address as leaders and advocates for their peers.

One in four Filipino adolescents nationwide falls behind academically by age 18, while more than 10,600 adolescent mothers were recorded in 2024, with pregnancies increasing among girls below 15.

Child labor also reached more than half a million in 2025, while nearly 20 percent of internet-using children aged 12 to 17 have experienced grave online sexual abuse and exploitation (OSAEC).

To help address these gaps, Plan International Pilipinas facilitated the creation of the Girls’ Agenda, a four-point blueprint developed by 400 girl advocates focusing on safety, resilience in crisis, health, and education and economic empowerment.

Since 2025, the organization has reached 2.83 million people, protected more than 740,000 individuals through violence prevention programs, and trained over 14,000 child protection advocates.

“The Girls’ Agenda came directly from young people, mostly girls, who told us where the gaps are,” said Twyla Raros David, Country Program Manager for Gender and Child Rights. “Training incoming SK and Barangay leaders to carry that agenda into their own communities is how we turn those numbers around, one barangay at a time.”

Programs are already being implemented across the Visayas and Mindanao, including youth advocacy panels and peer educators in Samar and mental health initiatives in Cotabato City under Plan International Pilipinas’ Global Youth Ambassador program.

These include the Youth Advisory Panel, which empowers young advocates to influence community decisions; Youth Peer Educators and Youth Reporters, who train high school students on OSAEC, SOGIESC, child rights, mental health, and leadership and enable them to counsel their schoolmates; and the Girls’ Challenge Grants Group, which equips girls from vulnerable communities to develop solutions to local problems.

Implemented in partnership with local governments, communities, and schools, the initiatives seek to ensure that SK councils and barangay leaders are supported by trained youth voices.

Plan International Pilipinas said equipping young advocates with leadership, counseling, and community organizing skills enables them to move beyond participation and take part as primary decision-makers in their communities.

As Linggo ng Kabataan is celebrated nationwide, the organization is urging incoming SK and barangay leaders to translate the Girls’ Agenda into concrete local ordinances and actions.

The call echoes the United Nations’ 2026 International Youth Day theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” which highlights the shared hopes of young people for safety, health, and opportunities regardless of where they live.

Plan International Pilipinas is also encouraging the public to support its programs and help ensure that every girl has the resources to learn, lead, decide, and thrive. Interested individuals and organizations may visit the organization’s official website or email partnerships.ph@plan-international.org.