Ilocos norte: Appointed junior officials of Ilocos Norte convened for a mock session at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) Session Hall on Friday, providing them with a hands-on experience in local governance.

According to Philippines News Agency, the session aims to cultivate a generation of informed and active youth leaders by giving them a platform to discuss pressing issues affecting the province's youth sector.

"As someone who cares about his fellow youth, I would like to raise several concerns of the youth, such as promoting mental and physical health," Junior Vice Governor Dayne Seandrake Sapaden said in a media interview.

A student of Mariano Marcos State University, Sapaden said he has been looking forward to participate in the provincial government's Junior Officials Program, where selected youth leaders undergo training in leadership, policy-making, and civic service.

The mock session was the culmination of the weeklong immersion program of the junior officials at the Provincial Capitol, where they deliberated and approved youth-focused resolutions and ordinances for possible adoption by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Among the resolutions and ordinances were the proposed establishment of tertiary assistance for boarding indigenous youth program, promotion of silent reading among learners in primary and secondary schools in Ilocos Norte, establishment of a free college entrance exam reviewer program for incoming first-year college students, and the formation of the Ilocano young agri-leaders development program.

Aside from official functions, the program also aims to develop the participants' work ethics, such as punctuality, especially during meetings.

"The first lesson I learned from Governor Cecilia Marcos-Araneta is to value time because I was late. She told me, time is so precious, so from then on, I will be more time-conscious," Junior Governor Princess Enriche Jhoye Carag said in a separate interview.

Other junior officials also thanked the provincial government of Ilocos Norte, particularly its Youth Development Office, for guiding them throughout the immersion program.

The junior officials formally took their oath of office on Aug. 11 before Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos.