MikeLigalig.com

By Rey Anthony Chiu
Philippine Information Agency
Bohol Correspondent

Stressing on the recommendations of the study to weigh the merits of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), National Youth Commissioner (NYC) Benjie Oliva hinted that in case of the abolition of the SK, the NYC would find other ways to engage the youth sector in national development.

The NYC stand jibes with current recommendations from a national study about the SK conducted by the University of the Philippines.

Commissioner Oliva pounded on the key role of youth engagement in effective governance during a recent radio interview early this week.

“We will have to find other ways to engage the youth in reforms,” comments Oliva, when pressed to comment on the move to abolish the national implementation of youth empowerment for governance program in the SK.

The Boholano commissioner commented just as the clamor to dissolve the SK surfaced amid reports that the youth council does nothing but waste precious government funds and sponsor discos.

“We all aim to implement total reforms at the SK, but if it doesn’t lead to transparent change, then we will find other ways,” Oliva pressed.
 
The commissioner also agrees that much still remains to be done with the SK citing that some [members] have been imbibed with the ways of traditional politicians. 

Short of saying that the Philippine youth in governance has been one of the best practices in Asia, Commissioner Oliva agreed that some SK members have been doing quite dismally. 

He bemoaned the loss of idealism in the SK today, while recalling the heydays of its precursor, the Kabataang Barangay.

“The KB then did not have funds at their disposal and it put the youth into creative mode to raise funds for their own projects,” he said. “We envision that we could still have a youth sector engagement like the KB, and it should be good.” 

The Oliva interview came a few weeks before the synchronized barangay and SK elections on October 29.

He said while the NYC wants to postpone the elections so that the Commission on Elections can still implement programs to make polls credible, he admitted it could be too late for the Senate to call on a plenum to discuss the Congressional Committee Suffrage and on Electoral Reforms.

Many have already filed and some have already spent money for the apllication, so the Senate would also consider just letting the elections go, he shared.

At this, the NYC is reminding those intending still to file their certificates of candidacies to go for the mandatory drug tests in the Department of health accredited testing centers.

Drug testing has become a mandatory requirement for candidates to public office by virtue of existing laws.


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