Youth Power Ignites Change: International Youth Day 2025 Champions Environmental Action in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Manila, Philippines — In a world battling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, a powerful movement is rising from the hearts of the youth. On August 11, 2025, more than 200 passionate young leaders gathered at De La Salle University for International Youth Day 2025, determined to be the generation that transforms urgency into action.

Themed “Mobilize & Ignite Youth Action: Advancing Sustainable Solutions for the Triple Planetary Crisis Through Innovation and Partnership,” the event was organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with Clean Air Asia and BAN Toxics. It served as both a rallying cry and a blueprint for how youth can take decisive steps toward a sustainable future.

Youth as Heirs and Architects of Change

“Young people are experiencing firsthand the impacts of the triple planetary crisis,” declared Teddy Monroy, UNIDO Country Representative. “We need the younger generation, as both inheritors and architects of the future, to take decisive action in steering the world toward a sustainable path.”

The event was a living testament to this vision. Youth leaders and changemakers shared stories, launched initiatives, and inspired others to act through interactive talks and workshops. In the ‘Youth Talks’ segment, speakers like Ramyr Angelo, co-founder of Mobility Vision+, and John Sherwin Felix of Voices Unplugged showcased innovations addressing urban mobility, sustainability, and environmental education.

Solutions in Action: The ‘Solutions Lab’

A highlight of the day was the Solutions Lab, featuring two groundbreaking workshops:

Solutions Lab 1: Harnessing the Potential of Youth in Promoting and Advancing E-Mobility – Participants explored how education, research, and career-building can accelerate the adoption of electric mobility in the Philippines. Industry experts and advocates shared pathways for youth to shape the future of sustainable transport.

Solutions Lab 2: Mobilizing Youth for Healthcare Waste Awareness – With healthcare waste posing severe risks to human health and the environment, this workshop challenged participants to create impactful campaigns. Using TikTok-style advocacy videos, they tackled issues like hazardous waste segregation and the dangers of dioxins and furans.

BAN Toxics Executive Director Reynaldo San Juan Jr. emphasized, “The youth, with their creativity and energy, can make a real difference by sparking change in healthcare facilities and communities.”

Launching the Future: New Youth-Led Initiatives

Two major initiatives were unveiled:

E-Mobility Idea Competition – Open to youth aged 18–24, this competition seeks innovative solutions for accelerating electric mobility. Winners will present at the 2025 Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit and the 2026 Better Air Quality Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

#GenZeroPh – A nationwide campaign to engage youth organizations in promoting environmental responsibility and community-based actions for a toxics-free, waste-free future.

A Pact for the Planet

The celebration concluded with a youth pact ceremony. Participants tied ribbons representing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to an SDG tree and placed written pledges into a symbolic time capsule. It was a vivid reminder that this generation is not just talking about change—they are committing to it.

The Urgency of Now

The 2025 UN Sustainable Development Goals Report reveals a sobering truth: only 35% of targets are on track, while nearly half lag dangerously behind. The triple planetary crisis threatens to overwhelm progress unless systemic changes are urgently made.

Addressing the youth, Monroy stressed:

“Young people must be at the forefront—as leaders, innovators, and partners—in driving the systemic changes needed to secure a sustainable future.”

From electric mobility to healthcare waste reduction, from grassroots campaigns to global platforms, International Youth Day 2025 proved that the youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they are the warriors of today. Their battle cry echoes beyond the walls of De La Salle University, reaching every community, every policymaker, and every citizen: The future will be sustainable, because we will make it so.

The Phantom Resolution: Unmasking the Davao "Persona Non Grata" Hoax

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

A firestorm ignited on social media, fueled by a single-page document that threatened to declare one of the Philippines' most beloved entertainers, Vice Ganda, persona non grata in Davao City. The alleged resolution, supposedly from the Sangguniang Panlungsod, quickly went viral, fanning the flames of political fervor and online outrage. Yet, as the digital ink dried on countless shares and reposts, a closer look reveals a narrative far more dramatic than a simple political decree: a meticulously crafted piece of disinformation, exposed not by a media exposé, but by the discerning eye of a former insider.

The document surfaced amidst the passionate, and often fierce, loyalty of supporters of the Duterte family. To many, the resolution felt plausible, a predictable outcome of the heated political landscape. However, for an individual with firsthand experience working within the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the "resolution" was a theatrical forgery from the start.

The red flags were not subtle; they were glaring plot holes in a poorly written script. First, it lacked a resolution number, a fundamental identifier for any official legislative document. This is not a clerical error; it’s a missing signature of authenticity. Next, the very format of the document was "off," deviating from the precise, standardized layout used by the council. These details are the bedrock of government procedure, and their absence is a tell-tale sign of a counterfeit.

But the most damning evidence was the document's language itself. It was riddled with grammatical lapses—errors that would never survive the rigorous vetting process of an official government body. And most alarmingly, it contained a call for an official, government-backed boycott. This is where the plot thickens into a legal and constitutional drama.

As the former insider explains, while a Sangguniang Panlungsod can legally express disapproval by declaring someone persona non grata, a government-mandated boycott is an entirely different beast. Such an act risks overstepping authority and could be legally challenged for violating constitutional rights. For a public official to push for a boycott, it must be done in a private capacity, not as an official act of the council. The document's brazen call for a boycott was not just a grammatical error; it was a constitutional overreach that screamed of amateur fabrication.

The true tragedy, however, lies not in the creation of this fake resolution, but in its dissemination. The post notes that many, caught up in the emotional fervor of political allegiance, shared the unverified document without a second thought. This act of unwitting complicity transformed a single fake page into a weapon of mass misinformation. The digital mob, armed with good intentions but lacking verification, became the unwitting enforcers of a lie.

The final and most compelling twist in this drama is the role of traditional media. In an era where trust in established news outlets is paramount, the post reveals that at least two media outlets shared this unverified document without fact-checking. This is the moment when a local political prank graduates into a national crisis of journalistic integrity. It is a stark reminder that in the age of instant news, the gatekeepers of information must be more vigilant than ever. The failure to fact-check a document so riddled with obvious flaws is not just a mistake; it's a profound betrayal of the public trust.

The story of the fake Davao resolution is a cautionary tale for our times. It is a dramatic narrative of how a lie, dressed in the guise of officialdom and amplified by a passionate but uncritical audience, can dominate the public conversation. It exposes the fragile state of our information ecosystem and highlights the urgent need for critical thinking. This is not just a story about a celebrity and a city council; it's a story about the unseen battles being fought on our social media feeds—battles for truth, integrity, and the very fabric of our shared reality. 

#NoToFakeNews #NoToDisinformation

PHLPost, iSON Tower Sign Deal on telecom infrastructure at Philippines-India CEO Forum

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Postmaster General Maximo Sta. Maria III of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) and ISON Tower LTD. Inc., represented by its Chairman Mr. Vivek Gupta have signed the Memorandum of Understanding under which PHLPost properties will be leased for the establishment, maintenance and operation of tower facilities.

The signing was witnessed by DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda together with other business leaders on the sidelines of the Philippines-India CEO Forum where DICT Secretary Aguda and Postmaster General Sta. Maria is part of the delegates joining President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. during his State Visit in India from 4 to 8 August 2025.

Ison Towers is a large conglomerate and investment holding company, accredited by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to provide common towers in the Philippines, engaged in providing passive infrastructure solutions for network coverage and connectivity.

Both parties recognize the need to upgrade telecom infrastructure to world-class standards, particularly for 5G and beyond services in the Philippines. This will help PHLPost sustain the development of its digitalization roadmap as part of its modernization program.

Postmaster General Sta. Maria noted that the partnership commits Ison Towers to contribute in the rehabilitation of the physical premises of a specific PHLPost branch office within which the tower is built to enhance public service delivery.

These Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), allow the private sector to contribute their expertise, resources, and technology to modernize postal operations and expand digital services, thereby contributing to connectivity and development especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his State Visit in India has emphasized opportunities for stronger trade and investment ties, particularly in sectors like ICT, semiconductors, infrastructure, and clean energy.