Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Bill 1963 or the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Bill as registration period for the upcoming barangay and SK elections opens on August 6.

“It is our belief that the basic local government unit of the youth should not be abolished as proposed by many. What SK needs is for it to be strengthened and empowered,” said Palatino.

HB is a revised and improved version of HB 6870 first filed by Palatino in the 14th Congress.

“Corruption and inefficient governance are among the major issues causing calls for the SK’s abolition. It is saddening that SK officials, due to the present system, have entered the makings of trapos who engage in corruption and misgovernance but this does not mean we have to kill venues for youth empowerment and governance.”

In its explanatory note, HB 1963 states, “(I)t is believed that the institution as a whole should not suffer from the practices of an erring few – if indeed the few are solely culpable for such crimes related to governance.”

“SK still stands as a representative body of the youth, advancing meaningful youth participation, promoting access to education and youth employment, and struggling for the delivery of basic social services for the youth sector…what the SK needs from the legislative is…a proposal to strengthen it through concrete and specific reforms,” it states further.

Palatino said that HB 1963 was formulated upon consultations with the SK National Executive Board, the National Youth Commission and community-level SK leaders.

Included in the bill are the following proposals for reforms:

• Changing the age requirement for SK candidates from 15 to 18 years old to 18 to years old to ensure that they have the legal capacity to perform their functions;
• Requiring SK units to deposit their funds in a bank preferably government-owned and granting SK units fiscal autonomy over their allotted budget;
• Requiring SK units to release a quarterly financial report to practice transparency and to curb corruption
• Mandating that the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan (KK) function as the highest policy making body of the SK responsible for holding regular consultations with other youth-based organizations in the community;
• Empowering and encouraging the SK to engage in promoting basic rights such as quality education for all, secure youth employment, sustainable development, human rights and social justice.

Kabataan Partylist-NYC tie-up for SK registration

Palatino meanwhile announced that Kabataan Partylist and the National Youth Commission have agreed to engage in a partnership for a nationwide campaign to promote SK registration and awareness.

Dubbed “Ayos! A campaign for youth empowerment and public service,” Palatino said that they are aiming for “a massive awareness and registration campaign in communities and barangays nationwide.”

“Ayos! will be characterized by educational and fun activities that will tackle the functions and roles of the SK, as well as the SK Reform Bill. It is very vital that the youth participate in the SK elections,” he said.

Kabataan and NYC are set to launch Ayos! on August 5. ##