TWO AGRICULTURAL engineering students of the Visayas State University participated in the Youth Ecosperity Dialogue held in Singapore recently.

Fourth-year students Joseph Kenneth Labastida and Jules Uel Evan Boldo were among the 300 student leaders from 14 countries in Asia who attended the one-week event.

YED is a platform to tackle key challenges and opportunities in sustainability and regional prosperity in Asia.

This year, YED was anchored on the theme of “Sources and Sinks: Reimagining Renewables and Waste in Smart Cities.” The event was hosted by the College of Integrative Studies at the Singapore Management University and supported by the Temasek Foundation.

VSU said Labastida and Boldo submitted a video application documenting their aspirations for a more sustainable future that includes responsible use of resources that will not add harm to the environment.

Because of this, they were admitted to program that allowed them to interact with leading experts and innovators in the fields of business, cities, and sustainability in Southeast Asia.

“It was refreshing to know that business enterprises can change their current ways of working so that they can make their operations more efficient and ecologically sustainable for all of us. I hope that our business sector in the Philippines will also exert all means to follow suit because this is very important in securing the needs of the next generations,” VSU quoted Labastida as saying.

Meawhile, Boldo thanked VSU for its support.

“We’re very grateful to VSU for this very unique opportunity that was afforded to me and Jules. The plane fare subsidy and the daily foreign subsistence allowance were important as the organizers only covered our food and accommodations. I really hope that more #ProudViscans will be given the chance to go overseas and experience similar events like this as the whole event provided us an international perspective to looking at things,” Boldo said.