In 1975, the first youth council, Kabataang Barangay (KB) was created by virtue of Presidential Decreee (PD) 684 by former late President Ferdinand Marcos and later in 1986, it was changed to Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) as the governing body of Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) to represent the youths and deliver youth-focused services in the barangay.
In 1992, the first SK elections were held and the recent was in October 25, 2010.
Two years ago I wrote about SK Abolition: To Be or Not To Be with the proposal of Senator Edgardo Angara for the abolition of Sangguniang Kabataan. Instead, he said that there should be an election within the barangay, municipal or provincial council to represent the youth.
In like manner, Deputy Speaker Pablo Magtanggol Gunigundo filed bills to do away with SK polls for SK members are minors, legal age issue, untrusted to handle public funds.
Bill Amending RA 7160
Recently, Representative Edgar Erice filed House Bill 1122, amending Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code) to abolish SK. He also proposed for the creation of Barangay Youth Council to be chaired by the youngest elected member of a Sangguniang Barangay.
Erice pointed out the following reasons why he pushed for the bill to be approved:
1. SK becomes the logical target of any local politician who is seeking higher position.
2. SK becoomes both a tool and a vehicle for the proliferation of corruption.
3. SK previous elections have low turnout of voters.
4. SK officers are exposed to corrupt practices of their unscrupulous elders in the government service.
With these negative expositions on SK, it becomes "School ng Korupsyon" according to Erice.
In like manner, the Comelec has expressed support for this aboltion of SK.
However, Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Ridon contested, suspecting a "more sinister motive" behind SK abolition. He reasoned out why single out the SK, what about the Sangguniang Barangay, government units and even the Comelec when corruption is the main reason for the abolition of SK.
Other Supporters
I remember in my previous article some of my commentors have the following reasons too why SK should be abolished:
1. Sk is a double-edge sword. It teaches the youth about the government, but it also exposes them to the harsh reality of it.
2. There is a lot of money wasted for every SK election and projects.
3. It is just a way of building or molding a political dynasty.
4. Some politicians are controlling the SK representatives.
5. They are unproductive. They are not doing their work.
What do you think? Should SK be abolised and only a representative from SB will represent the youth with no extra compensation?
Two years ago I wrote about SK Abolition: To Be or Not To Be with the proposal of Senator Edgardo Angara for the abolition of Sangguniang Kabataan. Instead, he said that there should be an election within the barangay, municipal or provincial council to represent the youth.
In like manner, Deputy Speaker Pablo Magtanggol Gunigundo filed bills to do away with SK polls for SK members are minors, legal age issue, untrusted to handle public funds.
Bill Amending RA 7160
Recently, Representative Edgar Erice filed House Bill 1122, amending Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code) to abolish SK. He also proposed for the creation of Barangay Youth Council to be chaired by the youngest elected member of a Sangguniang Barangay.
Erice pointed out the following reasons why he pushed for the bill to be approved:
1. SK becomes the logical target of any local politician who is seeking higher position.
2. SK becoomes both a tool and a vehicle for the proliferation of corruption.
3. SK previous elections have low turnout of voters.
4. SK officers are exposed to corrupt practices of their unscrupulous elders in the government service.
With these negative expositions on SK, it becomes "School ng Korupsyon" according to Erice.
In like manner, the Comelec has expressed support for this aboltion of SK.
However, Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Ridon contested, suspecting a "more sinister motive" behind SK abolition. He reasoned out why single out the SK, what about the Sangguniang Barangay, government units and even the Comelec when corruption is the main reason for the abolition of SK.
Other Supporters
I remember in my previous article some of my commentors have the following reasons too why SK should be abolished:
1. Sk is a double-edge sword. It teaches the youth about the government, but it also exposes them to the harsh reality of it.
2. There is a lot of money wasted for every SK election and projects.
3. It is just a way of building or molding a political dynasty.
4. Some politicians are controlling the SK representatives.
5. They are unproductive. They are not doing their work.
What do you think? Should SK be abolised and only a representative from SB will represent the youth with no extra compensation?
I think this youth foundation should be abolished and let the youth just focus on their studies first. When they become graduates then they can work in politics. They can be trained to be good leaders in other aspects naman.
ReplyDeleteI believe that SK should be abolished. Maybe it's time to change some things in our government system. I also agree that SK is used by some political families. Some even take advantage of SK for corruption.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm on the neutral side with this. Some do their tasks well and some are just "pa-cute."
ReplyDeleteThe 4th point is the saddest, regarding the SK system. I had cousins run for SK before, and sadly, they get their arm twisted by "more powerful" people in the community.
ReplyDeleteNow ko lang nalaman ang history ng SK. I knew some friends who are in SK and I was shocked that they are getting a big allowance. They receive much bigger than a regular employee. For me it should not be abolished at all, I suggest to lower down their compensation.
ReplyDelete