The Youth Ambassadors Camp—Luzon, sponsored by the Presidential Communications Office, took place from December 3-5, 2024, at the 456 Le Grande Hotel in Baguio City. Two representatives from the institution joined the camp: Ms. Novy Ann B. Neri, a member of the Technocrat editorial board of the Bangued Campus, and Ms. Emmarie T. Pineda, Student Government President of the Lagangilang Campus. Accompanying them was Dr. Dylan Edward R. Raranga, the Technocrat adviser.
Day 1 commenced with preliminaries and welcome remarks from Ms. Krizia Casey P. Avejar, the FOI Chief, followed by engaging activities led by Mr. Nicolai Pallada, FOI Information Officer, to foster connections among ambassadors. Participants delved into the Freedom of Information (FOI) as a fundamental right through presentations led by Ms. Deniel Angelou Echevarria, Communications and International Affairs Lead, who emphasized the constitutional right of the people to access information on matters of public concern, serving as an enabling mechanism to promote transparency in the government’s administrative processes. Through FOI, citizens are empowered to make formal requests for information held by the government, barring certain sensitive data related to national security. Following this, Mr. Ryan Torda, FOI Creative Arts Specialist, discussed the exercise of FOI, focusing on both traditional and electronic mechanisms. He explained the use of gadgets and technology to transfer information as part of the electronic mechanism, while the traditional mechanism involves local government units (LGUs) or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) up to local or barangay officials as important channels for information dissemination. The lectures culminated in group discussions and assignments for Day 2.
On Day 2, ambassadors explored the role of FOI in implementation and localization programs with insights from Ms. Deniel Angelou Echebarria, who discussed crucial aspects of promoting and strengthening FOI principles. It was followed by a presentation of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), who shared its Financial Inclusion Program. The BSP emphasized their commitment to financial inclusion as a multi-faceted effort involving policy development, program implementation, and partnerships with various stakeholders. They highlighted the significant progress made in financial inclusion in the Philippines and their ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable financial system for all Filipinos. Following the BSP presentation, the youth ambassadors engaged in simulations of sectoral advocacy related to FOI.
Day 3 featured energizing activities and individual commitment presentations from the ambassadors, leading to feedback sessions. The camp concluded with a graduation ceremony recognizing the participants as FOI Ambassadors, alongside a photo opportunity and video highlights of the event.
