An educational discussion on the 2025 Midterm Elections in the Philippines marked the kick-off of the first-ever University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Youth Congress.
The discussion, dubbed “Shape The Future: Empowering Voters of Change,” was held on April 12, 2025, at the UPV Auditorium, Iloilo City campus.
The topics included governance, the role of the youth in nation-building, and youth participation. The invited speakers were Atty. Clyde Ben A. Gacayan, a professor of the Political Science Cluster; Gerard Bhel Bionat, an advocate of character formation and youth empowerment; and Kylene Anne Millanes, youth leader and Ayala Young Leaders Congress delegate.
About 700 members of the UPV community and partner institutions attended the event.
The UPV Youth Congress is organized by the UPV Discursus, the official organization for Political Science students. The congress seeks to gather student leaders to legislate local ordinances addressing pressing social issues in Miagao, Iloilo.
The UPV Youth Congress is endorsed by the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension, and the College of Arts and Sciences, led by Dean Prof. Pepito Fernandez Jr., one of the lead convenors.
It was organized in partnership with the Local Government Unit of Miagao, through the support of Municipal Councilor Japhet Grace Gasapo Moleta, and the Department of Education – Schools Division of Iloilo City. (With sources from UPV Youth Congress)
