She thought of being a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Chairman as a mere organizer of sports league and activities in Bambang town when she ran for the top post, but Jeanne Alexandra ‘Alex’ Felipe, 26 was amazed to know the opposite reality when she won the elections as SK Chair of Barangay Banggot in 2018.
More so when she was elected as the SK Federation President of the municipality and sat as an ex-officio member of the Sangguniang Bayan (SB).
These challenges though taught her the complexities of leadership that must be felt by her youth sector and the villagers of Bambang town in general.
Alex, as she was called by her friends, stood on her belief that public issues and concerns must be addressed in a humane and democratic way.
“There are no perfect leaders but leadership should be learned. I have made wrong decisions in the past but my vast experience as an SK leader taught me a lot. I want to be the voice of our sector and inspire our fellow youths to be good, courageous and be counted for nation building and development,” she said.
At her young age, Alex was able to push the following legislative measures: an Ordinance Granting Cash Incentives to SK members, secretaries and treasurers of the 25 barangays of Bambang, an Ordinance Creating the Ani ng Agham at Agrikultura Scholarship Program, an Ordinance Empowering and Protecting the Rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) and an Ordinance Approving the Bambang Youth Development Code with 18 co-authored ordinances, two resolutions sponsored and 205 co-sponsored.
She continues to implement the regular programs, projects and activities in the municipality with Linggo ng Kabataan, Pride Month Celebration, Capability Development and Leadership Trainings and Annual Planning and Budgeting Seminar for SK members.
Alex and her fellow youths also go down to the barangays for the granting of student stipend under the iSKolar Program, conduct of Annual Health Caravan, Sports Clinic (Drills and Skills Training) and implementation of the Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP) Palit -Plastic Program where bottles are being traded for dry goods.
During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, Alex and her fellow SK officials went out of their comfort zones to conduct Mobile Feeding Program and Relief Operations in partnership with the Alpha Phi Omega Theta Epsilon Chapter, thereby benefiting villagers and college students affected by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
She also led the SK in the conduct of community extension activities and outreach programs such as the Adopt a Community in 2018, benefiting the barangays of Aliaga, Abinganan, Mabuslo and San Leonardo, Community Extension Program for Juvenile Delinquents in partnership with the Provincial Jail.
Alex and her fellow SK officers partnered with the Philippine Red Cross - Nueva Vizcaya and established the Bambang Youth Blood Bank in 2019 including the conduct of Donation Drives for the victims of typhoon ‘Ulysses’ in Ilagan, Isabela in November 22, 2020 and victims of Taal Eruption in Tanauan, Batangas in January 2020 in collaboration with the Bambang Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO).
For her contributions to the SK sector and the youth sector, she was recognized as the Most Outstanding Youth in Peace Building and Security Program, through the Outstanding Sanggunian Kabataan Awards and Recognition (OSKAR) in December 2022.
“I owe this award to our fellow youths and my family who continue to support me in my various undertakings as a youth leader. For those who are aspiring to be an SK leader, be humble yet flexible, and understanding and face the challenge with patience. Let us live up to the expectations of our constituents,” Alex said.
True to her voice and action in the youth sector, Alex also holds the following leadership marks such as Regional and Provincial President of the Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT) and member of the National Movement for Young Legislators (NMYL) and the Philippine Councilors League (PCL).
“It is not enough that you only have a voice. It should be a reverberating voice to be heard and listened to,” she said. # (BME/OTB/ALM/JKC/PIA Nueva Vizcaya)
