National Youth Commission (Philippines)

During the Marcos administration, government supervision on youth affairs fell under the Kabataang Barangay National Secretariat, the Youth Development Affairs, and the Secretariat on Youth Affairs. Under the Cory Aquino administration, these were abolished and functions were carried over to the Presidential Council for Youth Affairs (PCYA).^[6]

The NYC was founded on June 30, 1995, through Republic Act 8044 or the "Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995", mandating it to be the "policy-making coordinating body of all youth-related institutions, programs, projects and activities of the government."^[7]

On July 4, 2016, NYC was among the 12 agencies, formerly from the Office of the President reassigned to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, based on Executive Order #1 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte.^[8] On October 31, 2018, the Commission, through Executive Order No. 67, was transferred to the Department of the Interior and Local Government along with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and the Philippine Commission on Women as part of the reorganization of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

The agency's mandates are specified under RA 8044 ("Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995") and RA 10742 ("SK Reform Act of 2015").^[6][9]

The agency convenes the National Youth Parliament (NYP) every two years.^[10] The NYP is a 3-day convention of youth leaders wherein policy recommendations are formulated to address youth issues, and serve as the government's guide in policy formulation and program development. Started in 1996, youth leaders gather every two years to share ideas and gain valuable insights and networks to aid them in their youth development efforts.^[11][12] The most recent parliament was held last November 2025 in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur to discuss the policies that affects youth and calling an anti-corruption efforts in the government.

The agency serves as the National Secretariat of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), local youth councils in the Philippines. The agency conducts mandatory continuing program for elected SK officials and coordinates with relevant government agencies for policies involving the SK and Local Youth Development Offices.^[9] In coordination with various youth groups, the agency spearheaded efforts for the passage of RA 10742 in 2018.^[9]

The agency is mandated to formulate, approve, and implement Medium-Term Youth Development Program (MTYDP) every three years. Currently, the MTYDP in place is called the Philippine Youth Development Plan for 2017-2022.^[13] It is also mandated to conduct a study on the situation of the youth sector every three years to identify priority needs, prevailing attitudes, and gaps in service delivery. Its most recent study is entitled the National Youth Assessment Study (NYAS) conducted in 2015.^[14]

The agency contributes to the development and proliferation of youth organizations in the country.^[15] The agency's Youth Organization Registration Program (YORP) was launched to register, help, and facilitate the establishment of youth organizations and youth-serving organizations.^[16]

The agency also founded the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards, an annual search and recognition program for outstanding contributions made by youth and youth-serving organizations nationwide.^[17] Under the term of NYC Chairperson Ronald Cardema, the agency stopped sponsoring the award-giving program establish the "President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Youth Leadership Awards", which did not materialize.^[18]

The National Youth Volunteer Program, initially established to mobilize youth volunteers for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, is now an ongoing platform for volunteer training and mobilization for various activities nationwide.^[16]

The agency is headed by one Chairperson, three Commissioners representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and two Commissioners-at-large. Its secretariat is headed by an Executive Director who concurrently serves as Chief Operation Officer. These officials serve for a term of three years, with reappointment for another term.