Alan Cayetano urges public: Let's support new generation of SK leaders
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has called on the public to support the new generation of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) leaders rather than seek the abolition of the youth leadership council from local governance.
Cayetano made the call in an interview with reporters right after casting his vote for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in his home city of Taguig on Monday, October 30.
“Madalas nating sabihin na i-abolish na natin iyang SK dahil naging (We usually say let's abolish the SK because it is a) breeding ground of corruption. Eh sino ba ang nagtuturo sa kanila ng (But who is teaching them) corruption? Hindi ba y’ung matatanda din? Bakit y’ung bata ang i-abolish? Baligtad! (Isn't it the elders? Why abolish the youth council? It should be the other way around!)” Cayetano said in an interview.
“Ituloy natin ang SK, pero tulungan, tutukan, at suportahan natin sila. ‘Wag natin sila iwanan (Let us continue the SK system, but let us help them, focus on them and support them)," he said.
"Give advice to them, at pag-pray natin sila (and let us pray for them),” he added.
Former SK leaders, he said, should also encourage and help their successors navigate the world of governance so they won't get corrupted in the process.
Cayetano also noted that the new batch of SK leaders are part of the "social media generation" that is why they have a unique perspective in governance.
"I'm excited for them, but I always want to make sure there is accountability,” he said.
While mentoring SK leaders is not everyone’s job, the lawmaker said it is “the concern of all of us.”
“Kung sino man sa atin ang may gift o talent na magmentor sa mga bata, tulungan natin itong bagong generation natin… Kung ano ang ating itanim this year, aanihin natin (whoever has the talent to mentor the youth, let's do our part in helping the new generation. What we plant this year, we are bound to reap) 20 years from now,” he said.