DAVAO CITY—The information chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, who has been named to head the region’s Office on Bangsamoro Youth Affairs (OBYA), said the sector’s poverty makes it “vulnerable to the rise in extremism”.
The ARMM said the appointment of Amir Mawallil to the Obya “comes at a time when the Bangsamoro youth is called upon to take an active role in their communities and to continue engaging their leaders.”
Mawallil was the chief of the ARMM Bureau of Public Information and was an active advocate for youth engagement and participation in autonomous government affairs.
Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman signed Mawallil’s appointment on January 12. Hataman said he “believed that Mawallil is a strong advocate, especially when it comes to tackling and raising awareness about the many issues that are crucial to the Moro youth.”
“The youth is constantly faced with a lot of challenges, especially here in the ARMM, where poverty has proven to be a pervasive problem,” Mawallil said.
He said, “There is a direct connection between the region’s problems and threats to the Bangsamoro youth’s future.” “Poverty makes our youth vulnerable, especially with the rise of extremism that preys on the youth’s idealism and hope,” he added.
While Mawallil said he knew of the regional government’s efforts to make basic social services available to all, he said he hoped “to provide more opportunities for the youth to learn and go beyond education that one gets from schools.”
“We have been working hard to provide quality services and job opportunities across the region, especially for the Bangsamoro youth,” Mawallil said. “The Obya is committed to ensuring these efforts translate to real opportunities, which translates to the growth and development of our region.”
The Obya was created by the ARMM “to develop, promote and protect the well-being of the Bangsamoro youth in various aspects, including their moral, social and political growth as citizens.”
Prior to his appointment as head of the Obya, Mawallil had years of experience both in human-rights work and communications, and has served as the executive director of the BPI-ARMM for more than three years.