Ali to youth: Be active sports leaders

Manila Inner City Development Committee chairman Arnold "Ali"Atienza, also the head of the Manila Sports Council (MASCO), urged the city’s youth to participate in sports and become active leaders in their communities.

Speaking recently during the city congress of the Youth for Life , a non-government organization also headed by Atienza, he emphasized the need for equal access to opportunities for the youth to play an active role not only in sports but in all sectors of society.

"The only way to ensure this is to involve the youth at every stage of policy formulation and action plan implementation processes through continuous consultative forums, as well as provide an incentive award system to recognize their outstanding achievements not only in sports, but in other endeavors as well," said Atienza.

"There is a need to ensure that the integrated national youth policy is effectively addressing all youth-related concerns and meets their needs and aspirations. That is why in Manila, the city government is putting premium on the youth and emphasis on the role of sports in nation-building that could provide initial steps to producing not only future sports heroes but role models for the youth, as well," added Atienza.

According to the young Atienza, organizer of the Alliance of Manila Youth Organizations (AMYO) which is composed of over 400 youth NGOs from all over the city, the Filipino youth today comprise 63 percent of the population of more than 85 million and the strengthening of community-based youth and sports development should be given utmost importance.