RONALD CRUDA

Legal Research

A Thought on SK Elections

Just recently, the majority of the Senators and Congressmen came to an agreement that
the barangay and SK elections be postponed for a year. Several reasons have been raised to
justify such postponement which includes among others; that it would cost a lot for the
government to hold another election for this year, that projects would be delayed for reasons
of election ban, that the momentum on the President’s war on drugs might be stalled, that
ample time is needed in cleansing barangay officials allegedly linked with illegal drugs, and on
the part of the SK such deferment will pave the way for the full implementation of the enacted
SK Reform Act.

At first glance, one might be persuaded that this move of the government will
contribute in ensuring success of the administration’s thrust of eradicating the illegal drug
menace the country is currently facing. Such postponement might also be considered as the
logical step to fastrack infrastructure projects needed to help pump-prime the country’s
economy without the constraints inherent to election laws. Relatively, as the campaign on the
“war on drugs” is coming to full-throttle, “barangay elections” is unnecessary interruptions as
may be viewed by many. On the other hand, while such move holds some promise, it would
also be rational to asses if the government did not in any way may have overlooked important
issues and that such postponement is in accord with our laws and more importantly to our
ideals as a people.

Notably, as the discussion on the postponement of the barangay elections was put on
the table, some legislators have suggested that barangay councilors and SK will be abolished.
The proposal presumed that affairs in the barangay will be better managed by the Chairman
with the aid of Purok leaders. Such structure eventually will result to a streamlined barangay
personnel and lower operational costs. Although the proposal for abolition did not materialize
for now, there are suspicions that the deferment of the elections is a prelude to the realization
of the said proposition. With several pronouncements from the executive, the scheme of
changing the landscape of the barangay government unit seems to be forthcoming. To top it all,
with the impending constitutional change as evidently pushed by the President, there can be no
mistaking that significant “change is coming” and the future of the barangay and SK
organizations cannot be ascertained.

In the desire of the government to effect change as manifested by delaying the

barangay and SK elections, it seems that the youth sector has been primarily affected and that
their interests were put on jeopardy. Another year of not electing representatives of the youth
is another year of denying the opportunity of the youth to participate in the formulation as well
as implementation of the local and national development agenda. It can be remembered that in
2013, by virtue of RA 10632, SK elections was put on hold on the premise that the SK needs
some overhauling, thus, in early 2016 the SK Reform Act was enacted. For the past three years,
there has been a vacuum in youth leadership in government and to prolong this void for a year,
assuming that elections will be held in 2017, is another big blow to the rights of the young
people. The issue of the weaknesses of the SK institution in terms of accountability,
transparency, and efficiency under RA 7160 has been addressed by SK Reform Act of 2016 and
no better way to test the reforms introduced but to have these applied in the new set of
elected officers.

The campaign against illegal drugs would be a very good platform for youth programs
considering current realities. It is explicitly expressed in the law that the SK shall campaign for
anti-drug abuse and create healthy lifestyle through sports development among others. The
rising number of illegal-drug users for the past years may have been attributed by the fact that
SK has also been dormant for those years. If only the SK as an institution were given enough
support, the magnitude of the drug menace today would have been lesser. This correlation
however might not be conclusive since studies on this subject were not established yet in a
layman’s perspective this may hold true. As such, having no functioning SK organization will
increase the risk of the youth to indulge in illegal activities thereby becoming easy prey to
organized crime.

The framers of the Constitution recognize the vital role of the youth in nation-building.
In Article II, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, it further states that the “State shall promote
and protect the physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being of the youth and
inculcate in them patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and
civic affairs.” The goal of the government is to provide a better life to its people and prepare a
better future for everyone to enjoy. It would be a shame if our youth and children who will be
the beneficiaries of the future will not be made major stakeholders in formulating and setting
the direction of the country.

The policy declaration in the Constitution provides an impetus that matters involving
the youth should not be compromised albeit efforts should be made to further strengthen its
capabilities. The SK as an institution is one of the best avenue to teach, train, and empower the
youth to overcome the leadership challenges today and in the future. By properly implementing
the SK Reform Act and providing guidance to the youth, there would be a lot more to expect on
the power of the youth to create change. Hence, instead of delaying the elections, let it be the
priority of the government to provide immediate venue for the youth to start its mandate.