Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. Proposed to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan which is the youth legislature in every local village or community. It also initiates policies, programs and projects for the development of youth in their respective political territories.
According to Pimentel, the Sangguniang Kabataan has lost its usefulness as a mechanism for getting the youth involved in community development.
One argument for scrapping the SK is that more often than not, youth council chairmen and officials are not found in their villages because they have to stay elsewhere to pursue their college wherein their duties were being neglected and preoccupied with other things and yet they still continue to receive their monthly allowances for occupying the elective posts.
Under the bill he filed (Senate Bill 2155):
The SK will be dissolved but the youth will continue to be represented in the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal/town council), Sangguniang Panglusod (city council) and Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial council).Youth representatives, like other local government officials, will be elected during regular local elections held every three years.
The bill provides that “in addition to the other qualifications required of candidates to the sanggunian (council), no person shall be elected as the youth representative in every sanggunian unless he is a Filipino citizen, a resident of the barangay for at least one year and he is not more than 18 years of age at the time of his filing of certificate of candidacy or election.”
It also states that SK officers who were duly elected in the October 2007 Barangay and SK synchronized elections shall continue to hold office for the duration of the term to which they were elected.
i really don’t think the Sangguniang Kabataan should be abolished. i’ve been an SK Chairman and i know i was able to contribute to the development of the youth in our barangay. Our barangay which was nothing but a discreet brgy. before became well-known and one of the feared brgys. in competitions and sports leagues. Even our youngsters never knew what they had until that. Some of them were even discovered and recognized by known people. I was very proud that i was able to trigger their confidence and talent. Our period became their stepping stone. If not because of the initiative of Sangguniang Kabataan and their Own budget, that would not have happened. The SK budget was even used to install street lamps which was way out of the SK responsibilities. we beautify the brgy. I don’t think that mere representations will make the voices of the youth be heard. i really don’t think so. I’ve been there. I’ve been with the adults. And we should already know by now what they’re concerns really are. Do you think a single little voice will be listened to by the group of big ones?
leading and being a follower at the same time is not easy, especially for a youth. but the youth are the only ones who know what they need and what they want intheir own time. having the Kabataan as a Sanggunian is like creating an innocent community. Then here comes the Senate Minority Leader saying that the SK should be abolished because they are not worth the salary, they are becoming corrupt, they are receiving their salary while not doing their duties…what the? are all the government officials worth their salary? are all government officials doing their duties well? aren’t we living in a corrupt government and society??! then why don’t we just abolish the whole Philippine government? why are they looking down on the people who were just having their first step on becoming a public servant? we’ll never know who among the members of the Sangguniang Kabataan will realize that they belong to public service after all. Many municipal and city councilors are from the SK. Our vice mayor today is the one i succeeded as Sk Chairman. The new generation is always the start of the hope and we should not stop hoping. we should not deprive them the chance of taking part in the world they are also living in.
my quarterly salary during my time was about 5,600 being an SK Chairman of a big brgy. with no income. the SK Budget owes me about 50,000 for all the expenses we had incurred for the youth development although i know i will never get that back. my heart is in public service and i know i’m not the only one. I may be studying in Manila during that time but i know how to do my duty because my heart is on it. Please Legislative Department, please understand that the youth are NOT the ones who should be knocked down. Let’s not use and manipulate the youth because they may be better than you.