PH Joins 7th ASEAN Children’s Forum and World Children’s Day 2022 Celebration in Indonesia
Delegates of the 7th ASEAN Children’s Forum (ACF) and children from different parts of Indonesia with Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, Governor of North Sulawesi Province Olly Dondokambey, North Sulawesi Province and Manado City officials, and Consul General of the Philippines in Manado Angelica C. Escalona. (Manado PCG photo)
MANADO, 23 November 2022 – The Philippines sent a delegation of four to the 7th ASEAN Children’s Forum (ACF) and celebration of World Children’s Day 2022. Delegates Paul Joshua Suba and Jean Claude Magdaong and mentors Emmanuel Mapili and Rea Anzures of the Council for the Welfare of Children represented the Philippines in the events held in the cities of Jakarta and Manado in Indonesia from 15 to 20 November 2022.
Held every two years, the ACF serves as an official venue for children from ASEAN member states to express views about issues affecting their lives and work together towards regional development.
The theme of this year’s ACF is “Building a Digital Resiliency for ASEAN Children”. The delegates attended sessions on digital literacy, digital participation, and resiliency and digital security. They went on educational visits and field trips, and celebrated World Children’s Day 2022 at an outdoor event in Manado, North Sulawesi Province with children from different parts of Indonesia.
Paul Joshua Suba, who traveled for the first time outside the Philippines, said, “I had fun meeting new friends and sharing the Filipino culture. I am happy that we tackled issues that affect our countries. My main takeaways are, in a digital world, some countries are slow to adapt to digitization. I realized that we are digitally literate compared to other ASEAN countries with limited access.”
Jean Claude Magdaong shared that ACF participants created action plans to be implemented when they return to their respective countries. His group developed an awareness campaign to help educate children and their families about digital security through webinars as well as a dedicated Instagram account.
Representatives from the Philippine Mission to ASEAN based in Jakarta and Philippine Consulate General in Manado attended some of the activities organized by the host country in support of the Philippine delegation. END
Consul General Angelica C. Escalona with ACF delegates from the Philippines Paul Joshua Suba, Emmanuel Mapili and Jean Claude Magdaong. (Manado PCG photo)
Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati and the delegates of the 7th ACF during Cultural Night in Manado City. (Manado PCG photo)
Delegates of the 7th ACF reading their recommendations during the celebration of World Children’s Day 2022 in Manado City. (Manado PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.manadopcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinManado/, or https://www.instagram.com/phinmanado/.