Young Muslim scholars train in legislative work

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-nine young Muslim scholars have successfully completed a three-month internship program sponsored by the House of Representatives and the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Growth with Equity in Mindanao Program (GEM) with oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority.

Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III and United States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. participated in the closing ceremony held at the Batasang Pambansa for the 29 graduates of the 11th Cycle of the Congressional Internship Program for Young Mindanao Leaders (CIPYML).  

CIPYML, a partnership project of the Philippine and US governments, provided potential young leaders from the conflict affected areas of Mindanao to experience a three-month internship in Congress, where they were exposed to the rudiments of legislative research, bill making, attending committee hearings, drafting committee reports, and organizing round table discussions.

Tañada, who represented Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. during the occasion, told the graduates that their participation in the program has earned them the opportunity of immersing in national government that they may further develop and hone their leadership skills.

“The potential you exhibited as leaders in your locality earned you a spot in the program. In the past few months you were given not only a bird’s eye view of how your national government functions but you were also provided with supplemental instructions that enhanced your knowledge and expertise. You were exposed to the workings of your national government that you may identify and replicate its admirable processes and characteristics and disregard and alter that which are inefficient or unwanted,” Tañada said.

“It is our hope that you can see that given proper support, the government can and will work for the people. I enlist your help and commitment to help bring peace in Mindanao and persist in our effort to disperse progress in the region,” he said.

He said: “By doing so you commit not only to solve the problem in the region but also help give birth to a more peaceful and prosperous future for our nation and the generations who will succeed us.”

Thomas for his part said both the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the US share a belief in the importance of providing first-hand experiences that help young citizens understand better in a way that textbooks and university classes cannot, how the institution of democratic governance really work, how policies are formulated, how laws are crafted and enacted and how compromises must be made among and between people with differing points of view.  

He emphasized that the program, which has spanned the tenure of three Speakers and three US Ambassadors, is valuable in making concrete contributions to strengthening awareness of and respect for democratic procedures.  

To date, CIPYML has provided 246 promising young people from Mindanao’s conflict-affected communities with the opportunity to observe and gain first-hand experience in public policy formulation, and to enhance their commitment to democratic values and institutions, through a rigorous four-month internship. The GEM Program is implemented under the oversight of MinDA.

The Muslim scholars came from the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Marawi City, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, General Santos City, Iligan City, Sarangani, Maguindanao and Cotabato City.