Solon to Comelec: Set guidelines on vacant SK posts

A lawmaker called on the Commission on Elections on Friday to set guidelines for the filling up of positions in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) where there are no candidates in the coming May 14 polls.

“I personally do not favor the idea of appointing people to perform the functions of the SK where no one is elected. There has to be an electoral and legal mandate,” Iligan City Rep. Frederick Siao, House suffrage committee member, said in a statement.

However, Siao said that Comelec and the Department of the Interior and Local Government should reach some sort of consensus on how the matter would be addressed and suggested that either of two methods can be adopted.

One is by authorizing the barangay council to appoint officials of the student councils of public high schools or colleges in their barangay to perform the functions of the SK council.

The other is by authorizing the barangay council to choose the three youngest kagawad (councilmen) to function as the SK council.

“A law may be needed for these options, so the Comelec and DILG can recommend a draft bill to Congress on how to make either or both options happen,” Siao said.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said last week that the poll body was still validating reports about lack of SK candidates in some barangays. The filing of certificates of COCs ended April 21.

He said that a total of 418,906 CoCs were filed for 335,584 positions are available for the youth vote.  There were 83,127 candidates for SK chair and 335,779 for SK kagawad.  The COCs have not yet been screened.

Data from the DILG website said there are 42,036 barangays in the country as of Dec. 31, 2017.

The DILG had proposed that the local development youth councils (LYDCs) and local youth development officers created by Republic Act No. 10742 or the SK Reform Act of 2015 could temporarily take over as SK functions and be the youth representatives for the meantime.

The LYDC is tasked with assisting in the planning and execution of projects and programs of the SK and the SK federations in all local government levels. /jpv