Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Sunday, September 17 assured that officials and members who would be elected in the upcoming Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections will benefit from a stronger, more responsive SK system.

Angara noted it has been a year since Republic Act 11768, which strengthens the SK system, has been signed into law by former president Rodrigo Duterte but the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the SK Reform Act was just finally signed last Sept. 2, 2023.

The head of the Senate Committee on Youth said he expects the negative perception on the youth body to change with the implementation of the law introducing reforms to SK system. 

For years, the senator noted the SK has been criticized for taking the same activities that do little to benefit youth development such as organizing sportsfests and pageants.

“Critics of the SK have questioned its relevance and see it as being politicized,” Angara said. 

“We introduced the amendments to the SK system in RA 11768 in response to these criticisms with the hope that the young members of the community who will be part of the body will do more as youth leaders and become strong partners of the government in nation building,” he stressed.

The SK Reform Act now provides clear guidelines on the types of programs, projects and activities that can be undertaken by the SK using the funds provided to them.

Under the law, these include the provision of student stipends, food, book and transportation allowances; sports and wellness projects; skills training, summer employment, cash-for-work, on-the-job training, and livelihood assistance; projects promoting the participation of the youth and their initiation in agricultural, fishery, and forestry enterprises; programs and activities that will locate the youth at the forefront of climate action, environmental protection and conservation efforts; capacity building for grassroots organization and leadership; and programs and activities that address context-specific and intersectional vulnerabilities of young people.

“We want to ensure that the SK stays true to its mandate of providing the youth in the communities with programs that will be useful to them and help them become productive members of society,” the lawmaker said.

The new law also addressed the declining participation of youth in the SK elections, including the absence of honoraria for most of its members. 

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

Under the law, the SK members, secretaries and treasurers will now be entitled to allowances that will be charged against the SK funds. 

A 25 percent limit on the utilization of SK funds for personnel services was also included in the law to ensure that the bulk of the budget will go to programs, projects and activities that will benefit the youth.

RA 11768 also authorizes the local government units (LGUs) to provide additional honoraria, as well as social welfare contributions and hazard pay to the SK chairpersons and members through their own local ordinances. 

SK officials and members will also be exempted from taking any components of the National Service Training Program (NSTP), as well as be given civil service eligibility based on the years of service to the barangay, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). 

The new SK Law also adjusted the qualification of the SK Treasurer, requiring them to be 18 to 30 years of age and should have an educational or career background on business administration, accountancy, finance, economics or bookkeeping. 

The law also seeks the establishment of a Youth Development Office in every province, city and municipality to be headed by a youth development officer who must be appointed within a year from the effectivity of the law.