Himamaylan City Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao and Brgy. Robles kagawad, Atty. Christine Thel Geollegue of La Castellana, will represent Western Visayas in the eighth edition of the Alumni Mobilization Program through Leadership and Influence to Filipino Youth (AMPLIFY) on Feb. 9-11 in Bacolod City.
Gatuslao and Geollegue are among the 30 YSEALI alumni, who applied and got accepted to represent their respective provinces and regions. The other participants are also leaders and emerging voices in various fields and industries, all over the Philippines.
AMPLIFY is an annual program for selected Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) alumni to lead initiatives throughout the year to engage YSEALI network across the country.
Gatuslao was one of the two legislators in the Philippines to join the 2023 YSEALI Professional Fellows hosted by the American Council of Young Political Leaders in July 2023, and joined the “Governance and Society” cohort.
The neophyte barangay council member, meanwhile, participated in the Fall 2016 YSEALI Academic Fellowship Program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, as part the “Civic Engagement” cohort. She is one of the most active of U.S. government programs alumni in Negros Occidental.
Aside from representing Western Visayas, both are also joining as members of the U.S. Government Alumni Association-Negros Occidental and YSEALI Hub Negros Occ., a press release said Feb. 6.
The eighth installment of AMPLIFY will be held at SEDA Capitol Central in Bacolod City.
YSEALI is a highly-competitive cultural exchange program for Southeast Asian emerging leaders, sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. In the Philippines, YSEALI programs, including AMPLIFY, is implemented by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines together with partners and alumni. ||
