The National Youth Commission (NYC) is ending its support to the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards Foundation Inc., which recognizes and supports the outstanding contributions of youth organizations in聽the country.
In a Palace briefing聽on Thursday, NYC officer-in-charge Ronald Gian Cardema said the commission would instead divert the government鈥檚 P1.7-million contribution to the NYC to a youth awards that will be named after President Rodrigo Duterte.
鈥淲e will just establish our own government youth awards to be called 鈥淭he President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Youth Leadership Awards鈥� for outstanding youth leaders and youth organizations throughout the country, and even for organizations of young OFWs abroad,鈥� he said.
The TAYO Awards Foundation organizes The Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations of the Philippines in partnership with the NYC and the office of Senator Paolo Benigno 鈥淏am鈥澛燗quino IV.
Cardema added that the NYC will also no longer focus on the issues of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender聽(LGBT) community, but would rather concentrate on the 鈥渄esired policies鈥� of the President.
鈥淭he National Youth Commission will redirect its programs and activities towards the desired policies of President Duterte, and not anymore focus mainly on LGBT matters just like in the previous years. We are the National Youth Commission, not an LGBT commission,鈥� he said.
Cardema was designated as NYC OIC after Aiza Seguerra resigned as the NYC chair in March.
During her term, she had pushed for HIV/AIDS awareness among the youth. /ee