Young Matanaoans Gather for Peace, Community Leadership

MATANAO, Davao del Sur — Forty-seven young people from different barangays and sitios in Matanao spent three days in August taking part in leadership activities that focused on teamwork, personal development, peace, and the challenges young people face in their communities.

The 3rd Matanao Youth Leadership Summit 2026, held from August 21 to 23 at the Matanao Central Elementary School in Barangay Poblacion, brought the participants together for team-building exercises, lectures, and individual development sessions. The program covered peace advocacy, nationalism and patriotism, prevention of violent extremism, school safety, and drug awareness.

For the participants, the summit provided a setting where young people from different parts of the municipality could work together, develop relationships with their peers, and discuss issues that affect their communities. The activities were designed to build confidence and teamwork while encouraging participants to take a more active role in community affairs.

Youth leadership programs such as the summit are often framed around preparing young people to become future leaders. But leadership at the community level can also involve more immediate responsibilities—being able to work with people from different backgrounds, make informed decisions, respond to problems without resorting to violence, and contribute to activities that benefit others.

The summit was conducted by the 39th Infantry “Smash’em” Battalion in collaboration with the Youth for Peace Movement “TALBOS”–Davao del Sur Chapter, with support from the Local Government Unit of Matanao headed by Mayor Irick A. Agbon.

Youth volunteers led by Abigail Baysac of TALBOS served as organizers and facilitators, while the 39th Infantry Battalion was represented by its commanding officer, Lt. Col. Hector A. Estolas, and its Bravo Company commander, 1st Lt. John Carl C. Coronel.

The involvement of the military was particularly visible in the summit’s discussions on violent extremism, peace advocacy, and community safety. These topics reflect the security concerns that government and security institutions have increasingly brought into youth-oriented programs in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.

At the same time, the summit placed considerable emphasis on issues that extend beyond security. Teamwork, self-confidence, personal responsibility, school safety, and drug awareness are concerns that young people encounter in their everyday lives, regardless of whether they are directly exposed to armed conflict.

The three-day activity ended with participants being encouraged to apply what they learned in their respective communities and to take part in efforts promoting peaceful and safe environments.

For the young people who attended, the summit was ultimately less about holding a leadership title than about developing the ability to participate, work with others, and make decisions that affect the communities they are part of.

In Matanao, where young people represent a significant part of the community’s future, those skills can matter long after a three-day summit is over.