DAVAO CITY—An Asean body and a US organization recognized the feat of three young Moro residents with awards and fellowship travel, to enhance their global views on the environment and cultural exchange.
Rasul Alih II of Jolo, Sulu; Amin Hataman of Basilan; and Nur Al-Hayah C. Matabalao of Kiamba, Sarangani, received citations for their work and leadership potential among the Moro youth in their areas.
Alih, an artist and a student, represented the Ingat Kapandayan Artists Center, which promotes Tausug arts and culture, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said. The group is based in the Notre Dame of Jolo College, and its presence in the school was intended to showcase the cultural heritage of Sulu and the Tausug tribe.
Alih received the award during the 22nd Asean Youth Day Meeting and the Asean Ministerial Meeting on Youth on July 20 at Sultan Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The group posted on its Facebook account its gratitude “to the people behind the 10 Accomplished Youth Organizations Foundation, the Office of Senator Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV and the National Youth Commission [NYC] for the recognition”.
“You inspired us to do more great things for our nation,” Ingat Kapandayan said.
The Asean Youth Award also recognized 16-year-old Hataman for his work in developing biodegradable bags made from coconut by-products.
He received his award during the Asean Youth Day ceremonies. Hataman is the eldest son of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman and Party-list Rep. Sitti Djalia Turabin Hataman of Anak Mindanao.
The ARMM quoted James Ceasar Ventura, NYC commissioner, as saying, “Choosing this year’s individual awardee required looking into other areas that have not been given adequate consideration in the past but could be major sources of inspiration for many youth leaders.”
“In the NYC Commissioners Meeting where we selected the Asean Youth Awardee, we considered not just someone accomplished but someone who can inspire our youth to focus on areas we have been ignoring before,” he said.
The NYC added science and technology was an area where the country “clearly lags behind”, and it said Hataman “was the nominee who satisfied that criterion”.
“Amin inspires not only the Moro youth but every Filipino youth to explore the potentials of our local resources [and] develop them into useful products for the benefit of the community. He inspires not just enthusiasm in science and environmentalism, but also social entrepreneurship where the communities are placed at the center of business and innovation,” Ventura said.
In Alabel, Sarangani, the provincial government also lauded the selection of Matabalao, 17, a Grade 11 student of Kiamba National High School to the American Field Services (AFS) Intercultural Program.
In a courtesy call recently to the office of Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon, the Philippine coordinator of the US exchange program, Noralyn Joy Ramos said Matabalao qualified for the AFS program and would stay for 11 months in Florida.
She added the AFS Intercultural Program “is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, nonprofit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world”.