Sam Milby is Department of Education(DepEd)'s new youth spokesman

By Jerry E. Esplanada
Souce: Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Instead of a math wiz or a National Achievement Test topnotcher, the Department of Education (DepEd) has tapped another celebrity as the agency’s new youth spokesperson: Fil-Am film and TV actor Sam Milby.

The DepEd will formally announce Milby’s inclusion in its pool of youth role models in next September’s national leadership training for student government officers at Teachers Camp in Baguio City.

Milby (real name: Samuel Lloyd L. Milby) was “recruited” by director Joey Pelaez of the DepEd’s Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs office, according to Secretary Jesli A. Lapus.

Aside from his popularity, “Sam was chosen because he has no bad record and he could inspire the youth with his talents. He could help the DepEd a lot,” Pelaez explained.

The 24-year-old Milby is the youngest child of Lloyd Milby, an entrepreneur from Dayton, Ohio, and Elsie Lacia, a native of Tago, Surigao del Sur.

Sam, a former ice skating contest medalist, grew up in Troy, Ohio. Along with his family, he had visited the Philippines several times before. But in his March 2005 return to Manila, he decided to pursue a showbiz and modeling career.

After a 49-day stint at the ABS-CBN hit TV show Pinoy Big Brother, he appeared in over a dozen TV shows and co-starred in at least four hit movies.

“We’ve agreed he’d be doing volunteer work,” said Pelaez.

Asked about Milby’s talent fee, the CSCA official said it would be “insignificant” and “not the usual industry rate.”

Pelaez described the actor as “kind and very down to earth … He has no attitude problem.”

Other DepEd spokespersons include theater actor and recording star Sam Concepcion, GMA-7 mainstay Dingdong Dantes, singer Yeng Constantino, whiz kid Shaira Luna, and former teen heartthrob Onemig Bondoc.

The late actor Rico Yan was the education department’s first spokesman.

According to Lapus, they were “exploring the possibility” of naming popular young actress and model KC Concepcion ambassador of the department’s Adopt-a-School program.

The department had earlier named boxing hero Manny Pacquiao as alternative learning system (ALS) envoy.

Lapus said they would “ask him again to help promote the program,” defined by the DepEd as a “parallel learning system that provides a viable alternative to the existing formal education instruction.”

When interviewed, Lapus said they were also considering tapping the services of popular comedian Bayani Agbayani.

Lapus bumped into the Agbayani couple during his return flight to Manila from the United States where he took a short vacation.

Meanwhile, several celebrities will share their entrepreneurial success stories in next week’s Teen Go Negosyo conference-workshop of the DepEd, also at Teachers Camp.

They include actors Marvin Agustin and Dominic Ochoa, owners and operators of the Sumo Sam restaurant and Thumbs Up ice cream network, respectively, as well as Anthony Pangilinan (The Master’s Lighthouse Foundation), Allana Montelibano and Happy Ongpauco (Bed & Breakfast Boutique), and Crystalle Henares (Belo Essentials).

The CSCA had also invited Regine Tolentino (Regine’s Boutique) and Vina Morales (Ystilo Salon) to participate in the forum.

Over 2,000 public and private high school students, out-of-school youth and educators are expected to attend the four-day event, a joint project of the CSCA, Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, Office of the Presidential Consultant on Entrepreneurship (PCE), the trade department’s Philippine Trade Training Center, and TMLF.

With its theme “Young Entrepreneurs Taking Charge,” the conference-workshop aims to “prepare the students to take charge of their future by taking on active and responsible roles in entrepreneurial endeavors, and inspire high school students and OSYs to consider entrepreneurship as a career and initiate them into entrepreneurial challenges.”

During the event, awards will be given to the most outstanding microentrepreneurs and most inspiring student entrepreneurs.

In a message, Lapus said “creativity and ingenuity are indispensable traits of an entrepreneur and these are natural to the Filipino.”

“Our students have the talent and the imagination; all they need is encouragement. Ultimately, this is what Teen NeGOsyo is all about: encouraging our youth to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and pursue their brilliant and innovative ideas that will create an impact on our country’s progress,” he said, adding “one is never too young to give birth to an idea.”

Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Joey A. Concepcion, meanwhile, said “the young ones, or at least those who are still young at heart, have the passion, creativity and drive to become the future entrepreneurial icons of our country.”

“They already have the optimistic, winning, can-do attitude which we have been advocating for. All they need now are the right mentors to lead them towards entrepreneurial success,” said Concepcion, also PCE founding trustee and president.

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