Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago sought Thursday the removal of the chairmanship of the National Youth Commission from its current chairman Ryan Enriquez.
Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago (Facebook)
She made the call during the House Committee on Appropriations’ hearing on the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) proposed P244.30 billion budget for 2021.
“Nais kong ipasok sa tala ng Kapulungan na ito ang pahayag ng higit isang daan na mga organisasyon na nananawagan para sa immediate removal ng current na NYC chairperson, at nananawagan ng genuine youth representation at better youth competent leadership in the NYC,” (I would like to include in the record of this Chamber the statement made by over 100 organizations calling for the immediate removal of the current NYC chairperson, and calling for genuine youth representation and better youth competent leadership in the NYC),” she said.
Elago also called on the House panel to ask Enriquez to submit in writing his answers to the string of allegations raised by NYC Employees’ Association (NYEAC), including his alleged incompetent leadership, abuse of authority, violation of security of tenure, and misrepresentation of the Filipino youth.
After Elago’s call, Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Cavite 7th District Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla reminded that it is only President Duterte who can remove Enriquez."The statement of the lady from Kabataan partylist is well-taken, there is no motion, any way she did not file any motion, it is just a call for the removal of the leadership of the NYC but that itself is the province of the President. The appointing authority is the only one who can remove a person sitting in that position,” he explained.
During the budget hearing, Elago asked the Lower Chamber to strike out the statement made by Enriquez supposedly linking her to Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) exiled founder Joma Sison.
“I would like to move for the striking from the record the mention of my name linking with a certain personality,” she said.
Enriquez told the panel that NYC exists to help the youth and save them, including Elago from the hands of Sison after the Kabataan partylist representative questioned the Commission’s “alarming” low utilization rate of 60.3 percent in 2019.