Abolish Sangguniang Kabataan
Wise men have said: Leave the youth to their parents and the schools to teach them the values in life until they reach the mental and legal age to participate in the art of politics and government. This column goes along with that philosophy for the youth of our land. All the punong barangays, barangay secretaries and treasurers I talked with for years from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao unanimously endorse that process of bringing up our youth because all of them are encountering problems with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).
The SK was originally the Kabataan Barangay (KB) created by former President Ferdinand Marcos who first enshrined youth participation in politics. The KB or “Village Youth was a youth organization at the grassroots level created in 1975. The Kabataang Barangay’s demise was concurrent with the return to Constitutional democracy in the aftermath of 1986.
Under Section 13, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, in its declaration of principles and state politics, explicitly states that: “The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall provide and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civil affairs.”
The Local Government Code of 1991 provides for the election of youth councils by those 15 to below 18 years of age. The SK president is an automatic member of the municipal or city council. Aside from participation in local policy-making, the SK also receives a 10-percent allocation from the barangay budget to implement youth-oriented welfare programs. With this mandate and fiscal elbow room, the SK is in a good position to harness youthful energy.
The SK system of governance, however, is facing problems brought about by variances in the economic levels of people. While SK councils in rich areas have enough funds to engage in feeding programs and support scholars, their counterparts in poorer barangays are struggling. In many localities, the SK is best known for staging beauty contests and basketball tournaments rather than critically engaging issues of the day.
Although barangay politics, and the SK, in particular, are supposed to be non-partisan, it is often said that the SK has become a training ground for so-called “trapolitos” who are learning the ropes of wheeling and dealing in politics from elders. In some places, SK representatives are children or relatives of established politicos who are groomed for higher office.
A study involving elective youth officials in a city in Southern Philippines and their involvement in graft and corruption, using a qualitative research design and employing a case study method, brought out revealing results. Ten informants were included in the study and were selected using the snowball sampling technique.
The informants indicated they were aware of forms of graft and corrupt practices stipulated in the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in the Philippines (RA 3019) and other legal documents. However, despite this, most of them admitted involvement with the following irregular acts while in public service: Malversation of public funds; evasion of public bidding in their purchase of supplies and equipment; bribery; making ghost projects and payrolls; abuse of powers, and many others.
It was also disclosed by informants that corruption was caused by bureaucratic dysfunction like the delay of budget releases; political socialization with corrupt older barangay officials who passed on the technique of corruption to the young leader informants.
The policy implication of this study demands the further strengthening of governmental structures and processes that would ensure observance among public officials both at the barangay (local) and national.
The study included a review of corruption as a pervasive and universal problem affecting developed and developing countries alike; that countries with higher levels of corruption have a lower ratio of both total and private investments to gross domestic
product.
“In many localities, the SK is best known for staging beauty contests and basketball tournaments rather than critically engaging on issues of the day.
“Corruption was caused by bureaucratic dysfunction like the delay of budget releases; political socialization with corrupt older barangay officials who passed on the technique of corruption to the young leader informants.