DILG to complete SK mandatory orientation next week

TACLOBAN CITYMay 19  -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) office in Eastern Visayas is targeting to complete by May 26 the mandatory orientation for elected Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials in the region.

DILG 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Marivel Sacendoncillo said Friday the orientation began in various provinces last May 16, in partnership with nine state universities and colleges in six provinces of the region.

“The idea is to bring all the elected SK officials to academic institutions to develop their competence to perform their powers and functions as youth leaders,” Sacendoncillo told reporters in a press briefing.

Non-attendance to the training without valid reason will be considered as sufficient ground to disqualify SK officials or subject them to disciplinary actions, as stated in Section 27 of the SK Reform Act.

The ongoing training covers topics on decentralization and local governance, history of the SK and the SK Reform Act, meetings and resolutions, planning and budgeting, and Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The activity has so far gathered more than 300,000 youth council officials from the region’s 4,390 villages.

In Leyte province, partner schools are the Eastern Visayas State University’s main campus in Tacloban City and satellite campuses in Ormoc City and other towns; Palompon Institute of Technology in Palompon town;, and Visayas State University main campus in Baybay City and extension campus in Tolosa town.

Other partners are the Southern Leyte State University in Southern Leyte; Naval State University in Biliran; Samar State University and Northwest Samar State University in Samar; Eastern Samar State University in Eastern Samar; and University of Eastern Philippines in Northern Samar.

Under the SK Reform Act of 2015, the youth council is composed of one chairman and seven members, who are 18 to 24 years old at the day of the election, and were picked by majority of youth residents in the community.

Section 10 of the SK Reform law includes an anti-dynasty provision prescribing that candidates should not be related within the second degree of affinity or consanguinity to any incumbent national, regional, or local elected official at the city, town, or village level. (SQM/PNA)