ILOILO CITY (PIA) – The Iloilo provincial government has launched a P5-million two-story Family and Youth Development Center (FYDC) project in Igbaras town through a groundbreaking ceremony on January 15, 2024.
Once completed, the Iloilo Provincial Population Office (IPPO)-led FYDC project will serve as a hub for pre-marriage orientation and counseling (PMOC) sessions, youth-related programs and other population and development activities.
The facility will also house the offices of the local Population Program Officers (PPOs), Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPOs), the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO), the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), and the Local Youth Development Council Office (LYDCO).
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., who led the ceremony, emphasized the critical role of families and youth in nation-building, aligning the initiative with his administration’s “MoRProGRes Iloilo” development framework.
“There’s nothing more important than our family and children. If we want to build a nation, we have to start with them. The strength of the Filipino comes from our family. We are resilient because of our family, and we want to start building a nation from the family and our youth,” Defensor said in his message.
IPPO Chief Atty. Ruel Von Superio, on the other hand,said that the FYDC is an innovative and strategic approach to the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and the Adolescent Health and Youth Development Programs of the province.
“We aim to strengthen our network and intensify our collaborative efforts in addressing identified gaps and promoting the development, welfare and empowerment of the families and youth, not only of the municipality but of the entire Province of Iloilo,” Superio stressed.
Igbaras is only one of the eight pilot areas selected for the construction of the FYDC in the province. The other local government units identified for the project include New Lucena, Santa Barbara, Calinog, Lambunao, Passi City, San Dionisio, and Sara.
Defensor and Superio were joined by Igbaras Mayor Vicente Escorpion Jr., Vice Mayor Sherwin Paul Quidato, and Anilao Mayor Lee Ann Debuque who represented the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP-Iloilo) during the event. (AAL/JNH/PIA Iloilo/Balita Halin Sa Kapitolyo)
