The Senate Committee on Youth has approved the proposed amendments to the Republic Act No. 10742, or the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act of 2015.

Senator Juan Edgardo ‘’Sonny’’ M. Angara, chairman of the Senate youth panel, recently sponsored Senate Bill No. 212, which aims to further enhance the participation of young men and women in local governance.

The bill was filed in substitution of the proposals filed by Angara, and Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Imee Marcos, all seeking to amend the RA 10742.

Among the amendments contained in the bill is the grant of monthly honoraria to SK members, secretaries and treasurers, Angara said.

At present, only the SK chairpersons are entitled to honoraria by virtue of their status as ex-officio members of the Sangguniang Barangays.

“The issue of honoraria or in this case, the lack of it, has been cited as one of the main reasons why fewer people want to join the SK. We recognize the importance of getting the youth involved in local governance and how this experience contributes to their development as future leaders so we should provide them with all the support we can give,” Angara said in a statement.

The honoraria is chargeable against the funds of the SK, subject to the guidelines issued by the DBM and may be augmented by the local government units (LGUs) through their respective local ordinances.

For the position of SK treasurer, the bill proposes that the candidate should have an educational and/or career background in either of the fields of business administration, accountancy, finance, economics or bookkeeping.

On the use SK funds, the bill provides that these may be used only for student stipends, book and education allowances, sports and wellness projects, skills training, OJT assistance, cash-for-work, livelihood assistance, environment conservation, calamity preparedness, and capacity-building.

A maximum of 15 percent of the SK funds shall be set aside for the mandatory and continuing training of SK officials and members.

The bill also grants additional privileges to the SK officials including their entitlement to appropriate Civil Service Eligibility, provided that the concerned officials have rendered full terms of office. They will also be exempted from taking any of the components of the National Service Training Program (NSTP).

SKs shall be mandated to formulate and approve their internal rules, appoint its secretary and treasurer, and set the schedule for regular SK meetings and Katipunan ng Kabataan meetings within 60 days from their assumption to office.

Once signed law, a Local Youth Development Officer must be appointed within a year from the measure's effectivity.          

LGUs will also be mandated to appropriate no less than one percent of its annual budget for the Local Youth Development Office.

“The work of improving our SK system must continue. The SK, appropriately reformed and capacitated, remains relevant and much-needed. The youth should be given a place in the everyday business of building our nation and serving our people,” Angara said.

He said the consolidated Senate bill was a product of "extensive consultations" with the SK Federations, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Youth Commission (NYC), the academe, and other stakeholders.