SOLIDIFYING GLOBAL COMPETENCE, the San Beda Economics Society (SBES), together with the ASEAN Youth Advocates Network (AYAN), convened emerging youth leaders from across the region for the ASEAN Young Leaders Assembly (AYLA) 2025 at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium on October 21, with the theme “SEAlinked: Building a Connected Southeast Asian Youth Identity.”
Aligned with ASEAN’s motto of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community,” the assembly, set to empower the youth through collaboration, culture, and community, drew around 800 on-site attendees and over 200 online participants from different parts of the world.
The event was part of the celebration of International Linkages Week 2025, in partnership with several organizations, with San Beda University (SBU) Linkages and International Affairs being the official host institution, alongside SBES, the host organization.
Akiah Loveighne Agbanlog, SBES Internal Vice President (IVP) and the event’s activity chair, illustrated how the event embodied the spirit of youth empowerment and collaboration, as an “avenue for the youth to actually create their own initiatives,” adding that the youth are empowered “to create a change that they want to see in our society.”
Agbanlog added that the event’s significance transcends from the university level to the national landscape, reaching the international community and a far greater audience.
“More than that, we actually aim to submit this assembly to the United Nations, so it will actually reach a lot, and it can serve as a template for other assemblies related to ASEAN,” she shared.
In an interview with The Bedan, one of the guest speakers of the event and the National Network Coordinator of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth Philippines, Kayla Manlapaz, highlighted the timeliness of the annual theme in fostering cooperation and “collaboration” among institutions.
Manlapaz explained that the event “really sees [a lot of connections]” and provides an opportunity to assess “ways institutions are working together,” as such recognition of their performance will “[inspire] us to see what we can do more.”
In her talk, “One Identity, Many Roots: Navigating Culture, Sovereignty, and Solidarity in ASEAN,” Manlapaz underscored the region’s unity amid diversity, emphasizing the need to be well-connected despite differences.
Froiland Villan, Office of the Country Director volunteer of the ASEAN Youth Advocate Network Philippines, also one of the guest speakers, echoed the same sentiments in relation to network connections, saying how connecting with other people is vital: “We’re exchanging some advocacies, we’re exchanging some information…”
Villan also emphasized the significance of youth participation and activism in his discussion, “Youth on the Move: Advancing Mobility, Exchange, and Regional Citizenship in ASEAN,” as he encouraged students to be more critical and braver.
“‘Wag tayong matakot kumwestyon ng mga nangyayaring mali sa gobyerno natin, ‘wag din tayong mahiya na lumakad, mag-protesta, because anong gagawin natin? We are the future of this country,” he added.
Agbanlog recounted how one of the AYLA 2025 primary goals is “to be able to be more open to other people and to have those connections.”
As the assembly concluded, Agbanlog looked forward to how collaboration would be fostered “with different organizations, different institutions, and different types of people that have the same vision, the same goal,” expressing how these phenomena will contribute to every individual.
“In that way, you’re gonna be able to grow as a leader and as a person,” she stated.
(with Bianca Ashley Bitanga)