Sangguniang Kabataan
| Youth Council <span class="nickname"lang="English" xml:lang="English">Sangguniang Kabataan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | unicameral |
| History | |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Seats |
41,995 SK Chairmen 293,365 Councilors |
| Elections | |
| Voting system | Direct election |
| Last election |
October 2010 Next election: None scheduled. Possible abolition.[1] |
| Meeting place | |
| often the barangay hall | |
| Website | |
| http://www.sk.gov.ph/ | |
Sangguniang Kabataan ("youth council" in English), commonly known as SK, is a youth council in each barangay in the Philippines. The council represents teenagers from 15 to 17 years old who have resided in their barangay for at least six months and registered to vote. It is the local youth legislature in the village and therefore leads the local youth program and projects of the government. The Sangguniang Kabataan is an off-shoot of the KB or the Kabataang Barangay (Village Youth) which was abolished when the Local Government Code of 1991 was enacted.
The SK Chairman leads the Sangguniang Kabataan council. The Kagawads, or councilors, approve resolutions and appropriates the money allotted to the council. The Chairman automatically sits in the barangay council as ex officio member. He or she is automatically chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports, one of the standing committees in the village council.
Every Sangguniang Kabataan is federated into municipal and city federations, then city and municipal federations are federated into a provincial federation. A barangay's SK Chairman represents the barangay in the municipal or city federation. The presidents of the city and municipal federation are, in turn, members of the provincial or metropolitan federations, which elect their own president as well. The presidents of highly urbanized and independent component cities (Metropolitan Federation) and the provincial federations compose the membership in the national federation. They elect the national federation president who automatically sits in the National Youth Commission as ex officio member of the commission.
Since 1992, there have been three simultaneous nationwide SK elections held in the Philippines which each term lasting from three to five years due to amendment of the regular 3-year term of the council.
History
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Philippines |
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Executive |
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The creation of the SK is in response to the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child to create an avenue wherein youth can engage and represent their sector. In 1975 the first youth council was established during martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos. Presidential Decree (PD) 684 created the Kabataang Barangay (KB) to give the youth a chance to be involved in community affairs and to provide the government means to inform the youth of the government's development efforts. Sangguniang Kabataan has Emil Maristela as the national founder from 2007 to present.
Controversy surrounded the KB, including the enforcement of authoritarian rule among the youth, opposition of militant youth activity, and the KB's failure to develop the youth as a responsive collective. Since then, the KB grew less popular among the youth and instead student activism became the trend in youth participation in the country. In June 1986, a study was conducted on the KB and came up with the following recommendations: abolish the KB; create a National Youth Commission (NYC); establish a National Youth Assembly; and set up genuine youth representation in government. Youth consultations were held, and the KB was abolished by the government. However, then-president Corazon Aquino have already established the Presidential Council for Youth Affairs (PCYA) instead of NYC, which was successful in coordinating with the youth federations to develop future national leaders, but lacked the powers envisioned for the NYC because PCYA merely coordinated with youth groups. A proposal was then crafted by the Congress youth representatives and PCYA's technical committee in 1989 to 1990.
The proposal that created the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) was incorporated into the 1991 Local Government Code (known as Local Autonomy Law or Republic Act 7160). It formally abolished the KB and created the KK and SK. The KK includes all Filipino citizens, age 15 to 18 years, residing in each barangay for at least six months and are registered in the official barangay list. The SK is the governing body of the KK, a set of youth leaders elected by the KK members to represent them and deliver youth-focused services in the barangay.
The age range of the youth eligible for the KK and SK was reduced to 15 to below 18 due to the change in Republic Act 9164 in 2002.
Effective abolition of SK?
Because of concerns that the SK is a "breeding ground for political dynasty and exposing the youth to corruption and the practice of traditional politicians" known colloquially as trapos, on September 24, 2013, the Congress of the Philippines passed a bill to (a) postpone the scheduled October 2013 SK elections until sometime between October 28, 2014 and February 23, 2015 and (b) leave vacant all the SK positions until new officers are elected.[1] The bill explicitly prohibits the appointing of officials to fill the vacant positions.[1] Sen. Francis Escudero said the no-holder of officials would technically abolish the SK.[1] The 10% funds from the Internal Revenue Allotment designated for SK activities will be used by the barangays for youth development programs.[1]
SK Elections
Except in 1992 and 1996 elections, Sangguniang Kabataan elections have been synchronized with the Barangay election starting in 2002, and in 2007. The term limit for Sangguniang Kabataan officials is usually three years but since the first election, there have been extension of terms ranging from one to two years more in office.
- First election: December 4, 1992 Philippine Sangguniang Kabataan election, 1992
- Second election: May 6, 1996 Philippine Sangguniang Kabataan election, 1996
- Third election: July 15, 2002 Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, 2002
- Fourth election: October 29, 2007 Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, 2007
- Fifth election: October 25, 2010 Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, 2010
The sixth election scheduled for October 28, 2013 was postponed for at least a year, if the SK is not abolished by that time.[1]
SK Federations
The Municipal and City SK Federations are composed of the barangays belonging to a particular municipality or city, respectively. It is a representative federation since only the Barangay SK Chairman sits as member of the federation not the all the officers of the Sangguniang Kabataan in the barangay. The Provincial SK Federation is a federation of all municipal and component city federations. The representation is thru the presidents of the municipal and component city federations. The Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation (SKNF) is a federation of highly urbanized cities, independent component cities and provincial federations of Sangguniang Kabataan. It is the central federation and the highest administrative body of the Sangguniang Kabataan. The national federation creates an executive board which is the policymaking body and its president administers the national federation.
Controversies
In April 2010, Jane Cajes, SK National Federation President, was charged before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas in Cebu City for lack of transparency in her financial dealings and for flaunting her wealth. However, Cajes said it is a black propaganda orchestrated by their political enemies.[2]
During the SK National Congress 2010 held on July 28–30, 2010 in Panglao, Bohol, the participants urged Cajes to present the financial statements.[3] The local newspapers in Bohol reported that the SK members claimed they already demanded for the financial report which Cajes failed to present. These alleged unaccounted money include PhP10 million provided in 2008 by presidential fund, PhP10 million given in 2009 by DENR, financial statement (FS) of 2008 regarding congress in Cebu, FS of 2009 congress held in Subic Bay, and FS of National Convention and launching of Sama-sama Para sa Kalikasan held in Bohol.[4]
The participants also insisted that Cajes should likewise render her report on the donations coming from the Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Department of National Defense and other private donors such as The Bar.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Mendez, Christina (25 September 2013). "SK polls postponed; Congress says no holdovers". Philippine Star. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ↑ "The Bohol Standard Online Edition". Theboholstandard.com. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ↑ "The Official Website of The Bohol Chronicle". Boholchronicle.com. 2010-08-01. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ↑ "Bohol Sunday Post". Discoverbohol.com. 2010-08-01. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ↑ Written by admin on 01 August 2010 (2010-08-01). "SK national pres in hot seat anew". Bohol Times Online. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
External links
- Official website
- Philippine National Youth Commission
- Sangguniang Kabataan(SK) Constitution and By-Laws
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