Press Release
August 1, 2007

Loren bats for sweeping reforms to enliven SK

Sen. Loren Legarda has filed two bills seeking to reform, empower and enliven the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and make the youth councils "more relevant and highly responsive to the changing times."

Legarda's proposal came as youth leagues nationwide gird for the October 29 synchronized SK and barangay elections.

Under Senate Bill 927, authored by Legarda, the SK at the barangay level would enjoy greater financial autonomy. The SK would be entitled to least 10 percent of the barangay's general fund, to be earmarked for the youth council in lump sum.

Legarda's bill also prescribes a broad formula as to how the SK's financial resources may be spent: 40 percent as discretionary fund; 20 percent for livelihood support for the youth; and 10 percent each for capacity-building, the "green" brigade, programs for street children, and the anti-drug abuse campaign.

The bill also mandates strict guidelines to ensure spotless transparency in the budgeting and disbursement of SK funds.

Also under the bill, the SK chairman elected as president of the larger municipal, city or provincial SK federation would automatically sit as ex-officio member of special bodies, such as but not limited to, the local councils on health, peace and order, development and tourism.

They would also be entitled to the same privileges as regular members of the local special councils.

Legarda's measure likewise provides that every SK chairman would be regarded as "a person in authority," while every SK council member would be considered "agent of a person in authority."

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 1417, also authored by Legarda, would expand the composition of the Katipunan ng Kabataan, or barangay youth assembly, to cover all Filipinos "at least 15 years to not more than 23 years of age."

This is meant to involve a greater number of the youth in the assemblies, which have been dampened by poor attendance, mainly on account of the growing number of teenagers driven to earn a living to support themselves and their families.

At present, the youth assemblies, which meet once every three months to decide on important issues affecting the youth, are composed of all barangay residents "at least 15 years but less than 18 years of age."

Legarda's bills seek to amend the 1995 Youth in Nation-Building Act and the 1991 Local Government Code.

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