AN ARTICLE, “SK youth’s loss of innocence,’’ (Inquirer, 10/24/10) should set legislators to thinking about amending the law providing for the election of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) members. The article, written by Hon Sophia Balod and Cielo Marjorie Gono, both honor graduates of the UP College of Mass Communication, showed some defects in the SK setup.
Among them:
The SK is supposed to teach the youth how to become responsible leaders and citizens. Actually, in many cases, the organization serves just as a venue for frivolous programs and projects. It wastes a lot of money. Almost P5 billion from the internal revenue allotment of more than 42,000 barangays is allotted annually for the SK. If something concrete and good for the country has been accomplished with this huge sum of money, we have not seen it. It has taught many SK members the ways of corruption of adult politics.
It reminds us of what the late Mayor Arsenio Lacson once said of a young politician, “So young, and yet already so corrupt.” Corollary to this, President Aquino wants the SK abolished. Balod and Gono said the President believes, “as numerous critics do, that the SK has led the youth to the dark side of politics.’’In a sidebar (an accompanying article), Balod and Gono, citing an instance of corruption, said that in one case, 12 percent of the P120,000 cost of a street lights project of a youth council was pocketed by “Santino’’ (not his real name). This is the youth official who, if he is later elected mayor, congressman or senator, will demand millions in “commissions’’ from a contractor.
In a study conducted by the UP Center for Integrative Studies in 2009, some SK respondents said they were exposed to or directly involved in questionable practices of corruption.
Most SKs have no direction, no meaningful programs. Reports collected by the Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation showed that programs undertaken by the youth councils mostly included parties, beauty contests, dances and singing competitions. With wise adult advice and guidance, they could have accomplished things that would have benefited their communities more.
SK councils are not required to submit financial liquidation. How is all their money being spent? Is most of it going down the drain? To be sure, not everything is negative about the Sangguniang Kabataan. For instance, Balod and Gono cite the example of Vice Governor Hemerlito Dolor of Oriental Mindoro, who started his political career in the SK. Dolor, not a member of any political clan, served at 16 as the provincial SK president.
Dolor drafted the 1997 SK Constitution and by-laws and worked for the purchase of the first computers in several public schools in Mindoro. He also worked for the adoption of a resolution prohibiting local and foreign miners from extracting nickel from the town of Naujan.
Balod and Gono said that “Dolor’s political experience is one proof that SK could be a very good venue for community service and development.’’
The study conducted by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies showed that youth participation in local governance promotes the holistic development of the youth. It also teaches them the value of time management, responsibility, teamwork and sense of nationalism.
Some SKs have not been entirely useless organizations engaged only in frivolous activities like parties and beauty contests. Some have passed no-smoking ordinances, curfew on minors, bans on chemical waste dumping and set up sports facilities for the youth.
Abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan may be too drastic a proposal. A thorough legislative study should be made to correct the defects in the organization and implementation, give the movement a sense of patriotic direction and get it involved in the task of nation-building.
The Sangguniang Kabataan could be reorganized and re-purposed so that it could better serve the youth and the nation. The youth are generally idealistic people who would like to see real change to happen in their country. A reorganized, re-purposed SK movement could be a big help in President Aquino’s program to reform the socio-political system of the country.
source :http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20101025-299727/SKs-dark-side
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