By Flora Aslyn Olympia THE NATIONAL Youth Commission (NYC) has opposed the proposal of Speaker of the House of Representatives Pantaleon Alvarez to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). In a statement posted on the Commission’s official Facebook page on Sept. 8, NYC Chairperson Aiza Seguerra said SK cannot be abolished because it is “a unique feature of Philippine democracy.” “We would like to give our young people the chance to prove themselves through the SK, especially now that it has far better features than before," Seguerra said.
Former president Benigno Aquino III signed on Jan. 15 the SK Reform Act which includes an anti-dynasty provision to protect the youth from being involved in corruption. Relatives of local elected and appointed officials up to the second level of affinity and relatives of national and appointed officials are prohibited from being an SK official. The law also adjusted the age limit of SK officials from 15 to 17 years old to 18 to 24 years old, making them liable at all costs. Earlier, Alvarez told media that SK leaders have become “useless” despite gaining profit from the government. “Kung pilitin mo ‘yan na magtrabaho bilang SK, hindi ‘yan papasok sa eskwelahan. Kung pilitin mo ‘yan na pumasok sa eskwelahan, hindi rin ‘yan magtatrabaho bilang SK. So sumusweldo ‘yan nang wala namang ginagawa,” Alvarez said. The House of Representatives has since put up an online poll to decide if SK should be abolished. As of 10:56 p.m. on Sept.11, 13,367 people approved of SK’s abolition while only 2,549 voted otherwise. NYC said the abolition of the SK post will deprive the youth their right to take part in the local government. "The new SK is designed to be an effective and efficient governance mechanism especially for social development and on the war on drugs,” Seguerra said. Luigi Dominguez, who is running for SK Chairman in Brgy. Marulas, Valenzuela City, told the Echo Today in an online interview that SK will help the youth to get involved in the problems present in the community. “[Itong SK] ay unang hakbang sa mga kabataan na makialam sa bayan,” Dominguez said. “Before sana i-abolish, sana i-try muna ‘yung bagong batas (SK Reform Law).” E
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