"I was invited to Batch 9," says Jojo, then student council president of Occidental Mindoro State College. "When I got to Manila, I, fellow presidents and college editors learned about Congress, its role in our country, how the Senate works. We studied together, debated issues, wrote and defended papers from 7 in the morning to 10 in the evening!"

Zapanta is one of the 400-plus participants of the longest-running training program involving the Senate - the Leadership and Legislative Governance Training for Young Leaders (LLGTYL).

Zapanta says of the six-day program, "One of my realizations is student leaders hope and hunger for a new country of which they can be proud and where they can be part of its development. The youth are our future, it has always been said.

"The other thing is that when we say that the youth is the hope of our country, we are saying they have a big part in it to play right now. That hope must be felt by the whole country so that we can be uplifted. Amidst all the political issues and an economy that is not doing so well, they continue to have fire, hope and eagerness to advance our country, and these can catch the enthusiasm of all our people."

According to NCPAG’s Dr. J. Prospero E. de Vera, the project director of LLGTYL, the program has trained 10 batches since it started in 2001 at two batches a school year.

"The LLGTYL is unique," he says, "because it aims to enhance not only the leadership skills of our participants but also their skills in legislative governance and advocacy. They become acquainted with its actual context when they visit the Senate to exchange views and develop linkages with its key officials and with the senators."

The trainees also tour offices significant to advocacy work as a way to balance the lectures coordinated by NCPAG.

Unlike most training programs where young leaders listen to lectures, participants to the LLGTYL develop very useful technical skills – writing positions papers on pending bills in Congress, news releases, preparing funding proposals for their projects, even a mock hearing where they practice correct parliamentary procedures – through hands-on workshops and group work.

While the training is usually held in Metro Manila (often at the UP Diliman Campus where NCPAG is located and at the National Institute of Science and Mathematics Education where the delegates are billeted), it was held for two batches of 2003 in Davao and Cagayan de Oro Cities.

"We needed to reach out to young leaders of the tri-people of Mindanao, the lumads, christians and Muslims in order to address the issue of peace and development in the region", explains de Vera. "It may be impossible for current Mindanao leaders to agree because of the deep scars and animosities between them caused by the decades-long war", said de Vera, "but investing in the younger leaders may be the best way to have peace in the future".

With funding support from the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), the LLGTYL worked with the Ateneo de Davao and regional office of Senator Pimentel to implement this first ever youth training on leadership and peace.

NYC Executive Director Raul Dominic Badilla recalls the first time his agency was invited by NCPAG to help train Batch 1: "We found the LLGTYL very helpful in educating the youth in terms of legislative advocacy, governance and their role in nation building. I can say that the outcomes of 10 batches are excellent."

In what sense?

"The skills, knowledge and abilities in terms of legislation, leadership and governance gained by the youth leaders were amazing," Badilla explains "All of these gave the youth leaders courage, an expanded network of partners and self-confidence after learning so many lessons."

One of these lessons is action planning for projects in schools and communities. One such proposal, Dr. de Vera still remembers, came from the council president of the Tadian Campus of Mountain Province State College.

"Roger Lambino argued forcefully for decent offices for the student government – anything but this former comfort room," de Vera shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, he got more than what he had been dreaming of via a Student Council building from the Countryside Development Fund of the Senator."

Another outcome is the appreciation by many participants of the opportunity to learn what they can apply to their locale. Zapanta, the student council president from Occidental Mindoro, thought of a fund for emergency basic medical care for students, most of whom had nothing for this sudden need.

"We study agriculture in a campus surrounded by mountains and quite far from the town center," he explains. "We could certainly benefit from an identification card to be shown to the few doctors available in our area."

Right after the course, the participants would inform Sen. Pimentel, NCPAG and NYC of their hope that more youth leaders could attend the course and become skilled in contributing to development.

"Actually, every student leader should really go through the LLGTYL," Zapanta stresses. "I learned so much and so, I hope it will continue as a venue for leaders to get together and learn from each other. And when they go back to their schools and provinces, they can hold echo seminars, as I did to 100 leaders of the four campuses of my college.

"My co-participants have larger campuses and student population, and so if we multiply these, there was something good we had passed on. Our eyes were opened and it didn’t stop with us 48. And it’s never ending since there will be another generation of student council leaders who can download our lessons and thoughts from the website. I’m hoping this program will not die."

Zapanta had felt isolated even if there were one or two council presidents who thought like him.

"Well, it was the same for my batch mates at LLGTYL, it turned out" he recalls. "So we shared our problems and compared notes on how we had filed resolutions with the Board of Trustees or Regents. And up to now we still e-email and text each other about reunions with a cause. We’d like these meetings to become a program to help a person or a project. "

And on the part of the LLGTYL, NYC Executive Director Badilla says, "We support the important role of the youth in proactively advocating youth issues, especially in legislation, both local and national. We see that they have been helped by the LLGTYL in honing their skills. "

The Commission also believes that through the course, it can continue to identify and train leaders at the local level, whether based at the community or in schools.

Badilla explains, "We believe that trained youth leaders can help in our advocacy as the sole policy-making body for the youth in the Philippines. We propose continuous development of the training module, lobbying schools to send participants, and full implementation of LLGYTL’s accreditation to NSTP which has been approved by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)."

And on the part of Sen. Pimentel, his Chief of Staff Atty. Gwen Gana has taken note of the transformational politics envisioned by Zapanta and other trainees.

"I’ve been apprised of their dreams to get into office even if they belong to no entrenched political families," says Atty. Gana. "I understand they have also discussed how to resist being corrupted even if they enter with the best intentions and with the strong resolve not to become part of the system."

Zapanta explains how: "We plan to build up our careers, have an income so that we won’t be easily tempted into signing contracts, have a roof over their heads - in short, survive financially. And lastly, we plan to enter public office together. For strength in numbers, at least we have each other. Through peer pressure we can keep each other do the right thing. Plus, we can put enough pressure on each other to avoid corruption.

"Maybe by the 18th Congress, we already can. We’ve told each other, if you really have aspirations, let the group know. We’ll support each other, and make sure that what we will pursue what we’ve agreed upon about corruption, issue, advocacies."

Dare the nation look forward to what these self-described idealists can do?