Bacolod City youth leaders orient on new SK Law

Newly-elected barangay youth leaders in this city gathered during the 1st Bacolod City Youth Leaders Convention on Sunday for an orientation on the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act or Republic Act 10742.

SK Federation Bacolod president Ayesha Joy Villaflor said the convention aims to provide knowledge and understanding among the new youth leaders about the law.

“Since this is a new law, it is hard for us since we cannot fully understand what it is all about,” she said.

Fifty-six out of the 61 SK chairpersons attended.

Villaflor said the SK leaders also learned how to draft resolutions.

She added that since the barangay youth sector has been granted fiscal economy under the SK Reform Act, they are waiting for the guidelines from the Commission on Audit on how they could utilize the SK budget.

The SK fund has been separated from that of the Barangay Council and they are now free to use and appropriate their funds allied with youth advocacy, Villaflor said.

The SK Reform Act mandates both the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Youth Commission (NYC) to jointly design and implement the mandatory and continuing training programs for SK officials.

These include capability building on leadership, program and project development and sustainability, financial management, and accountability and transparency.

Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya had earlier said the DILG had developed modules for the new set of SK officials aimed at equipping the youth leaders with the necessary skills to perform their functions well.

Malaya also said that during their incumbency, SK officials must attend the continuing training programs to be undertaken by the NYC in coordination with the DILG.

The DILG official pointed out that another innovation of the SK Reform Act is that SK officials will have a chance in truly participating in local governance with the creation of a Local Youth  Development Council composed of representatives of youth and youth-serving organizations at the provincial, city, and municipal levels. (Nanette Guadalquiver)

Source: Philippine News Agency. Photo Credit: Bacolod City PIO)