TO:
The Honorable Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong
The Office of the SK Federation President
The Sangguniang Panlungsod – Committee on Youth and Family Welfare
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO)
The Department of the Interior and Local Government – Baguio Field Office
The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO)
Baguio City Character Council

Subject:
Petition to Review, Reevaluate, and Revoke Endorsement or Approval of “RaveVolution 2025: Youth Beats for Change”

We, the undersigned youth leaders, civil society organizations, educators, faith-based groups, parents, and concerned citizens of Baguio City, express our firm and urgent opposition to the event titled:

“RaveVolution 2025: Youth Beats for Change”

—a nightlife-themed event being promoted under Linggo ng Kabataan 2025, falsely packaged as “youth empowerment” and a “fundraiser,” but which in truth encourages alcohol consumption, piercings, tattoos, bar attendance, and mystical practices, glamorized for the youth.

Scheduled to be held on August 10, 2025 (Sunday), from 6:00 PM to 12:00 MN at the Baguio Convention Center, this event’s timing—on a Sunday night until near dawn—raises serious concerns about compromising the productivity and readiness of students and working youth the following Monday.

KEY POINTS OF OPPOSITION:
1. Promotion of Vices and Nightlife Culture
• Both Regular and Special tickets offer a bundle of alcoholic beverages (e.g., Welcome Shot, Cocktail Mix, Tequila Sunrise) along with piercings, tattoos, and tarot readings.
• The Special ticket includes post-event access to Karma Bar at 12 midnight, directly inviting youth into nightlife and vice-laden environments.
• A reported statement by one SK President of a barangay even claimed, “If the main event is not enough, they can still go to Karma Bar afterward.”

2. False Sense of Control Over Age Restriction (18+)
• Although organizers claim the event is for “18 years old and above,” this restriction is not enforceable in an open ticketing system, especially as:
  ◦ No visible safeguards have been declared publicly (e.g., ID verification, parent consent, SK accountability)
  ◦ The very nature of the event (youth-centered, SK-branded) attracts teen audiences, often below 18 years old
  ◦ Curfew violations and underage access to alcohol or bars remain highly probable

3. 🛑 Internal Resistance from Youth and Barangay Leaders
• A number of SK members, youth leaders, and barangay officials have quietly raised concerns about the event’s direction, content, and moral implications.
• However, despite their reservations, some are feeling pressured to comply due to top-down expectations or the assumption of automatic SK Federation support.
• This environment discourages open dialogue, stifles conviction-driven leadership, and risks compromising the very youth development values the SK system was created to uphold.

➤ We strongly call to:
• Prevent the organizers and government employees and officials from using the SK organizations as channels for selling and promoting the event.
• Review the permit of KARMA Bar to serve liquor — does it have a DOT recognition and City Treasurer permit?

VIOLATIONS OF LAW, POLICY, AND VALUES:
1. RA 10742 – Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015
• Mandates SK programs and activities to uphold the spiritual, moral, intellectual, and social well-being of youth.
• Fundraising efforts under SK must embody positive youth development, not promote nightlife culture, alcohol, body modification, or mystical practices.
• Events like “RaveVolution” directly conflict with the SK’s intended role as moral and transformational youth leaders, not party promoters.

2. Ordinance No. 39, Series of 2023 – Baguio City Character City Declaration
• Institutionalizes Baguio City’s identity as a God-loving and God-fearing city with leaders committed to truth, moral uprightness, and community transformation.
• Formally establishes the Baguio City Character Council, chaired by the Mayor, to oversee city-wide efforts on character-building.
• Events linked to alcohol, nightlife, and moral compromise contradict the core pillars of this ordinance and dishonor Baguio’s vision as a model of ethical and values-based governance.

3. City Ordinance No. 88 (2009)
• Sets local standards for public decency and moral conduct, especially regarding youth activities in public spaces.
• Discourages and prohibits public youth events that promote vice, intoxication, moral looseness, or unsafe environments.
• A city-endorsed event offering alcoholic packages, tattoos, and nightclub access under SK branding is a direct affront to the ordinance’s intent.

4. City Ordinance No. 50 (2009) – Juvenile Protection Ordinance
• Prohibits minors from entering bars, clubs, and other nightlife venues from 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM, unless in official, values-based activities with proper oversight.
• Marketing post-event access to “Karma Bar at 12 midnight” blatantly violates this law, and places underage attendees at risk for curfew breaches and exposure to vice.

Insensitive Timing
• Amid the aftermath of recent typhoons and calamities, such a lavish “party-style” event undermines the call for solidarity, compassion, and rebuilding.

Misaligned Messaging
• The slogan “Which Fate Will You Choose? The Regular or the Special?” frames youth choices in terms of indulgence and nightlife experiences rather than character, discipline, or service.

We believe in our youth — as carriers of purpose.
They deserve more than events and vices that dim their value.
They are meant to rise, not to wander in the dark.

WE PETITION THE CITY TO:
1. Reevaluate and revoke any endorsements or permissions granted to “RaveVolution 2025”
2. Issue a formal disassociation from this event, especially from SK Federation and Linggo ng Kabataan 2025
3. Investigate any undue influence or pressure being placed on barangay SKs to participate in or promote this activity
4. Enforce legal and moral accountability among organizers or public officials promoting this program
5. Reinforce proper values-based guidelines for youth empowerment events under the Character City program and RA 10742

EVENT TIMING CONCERN

IN CONCLUSION:
This event is not youth empowerment — it is moral compromise in disguise.
This is not service — it is spectacle.
This is not fundraising — it is false representation.

We appeal to your conscience, your leadership, and your accountability before the people of Baguio.

Respectfully submitted by:
Concerned Citizens of Baguio City