MALACAÑANG HAS announced the appointment of Paolo Benigno
"Bam" A. Aquino IV as the new Chairperson of the National
Youth Commission (NYC).
Succeeding Atty. Mabel P. Villarica-Mamba as the head of the government's
premiere youth office, Bam is no stranger to youth service. Prior
to his appointment as NYC Chair, he served as one of its Commissioners
since 2001. His first job was with the Special Projects Group of the
ABS-CBN Foundation which handled projects for Bantay Bata and Bantay
Kalikasan. As student council president of the Ateneo De Manila University,
he became the volunteer head of the first youth-led center of the
National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) Quick Count in Quezon
City and a founding member of the National Union of Catholic Student
Councils, where he served as Constitutional Chairman.
Aside from graduating summa cum laude and valedictorian of his class,
Bam was also awarded the Jose Rizal Most Outstanding Model Student
of the Philippines and the Merit Top Ten College Award. Bam was initiated
into Philippine politics when he was just six years old. He was one
of the youngest speakers during the EDSA Revolution, which was sparked
by the assassination of his uncle, Senator Benigno "Ninoy"
Aquino Jr. He was also one of the youth convenors of EDSA 2 in January
2001 which ousted then President Joseph E. Estrada.
Aside from the NYC, Bam is also a member of the Steering Committee
of the Habitat for Humanity's Youth Build program. In 2001, he was
also a Commissioner of the EDSA People Power Commission and the head
of the organizing committee of the Pambansang Ugong Ng Kabataan (PUNK
2001), a National Youth Consultation program of the Office of the
President. His other advocacies include being the spokesperson for
Read to Lead, a reading advocacy campaign, and Children's Hour, a
fund-raising project for less fortunate and special children. Bam
also hosts Breakfast, the youth-oriented TV morning talk show aired
over ABS-CBN's Studio 23.
At 25, Bam is the youngest person appointed by President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo to head a government agency.
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