ILOILO City – The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Iloilo City has rejected calls for the abolition of the youth councils, arguing that recent reforms and strict accountability measures prove the SK remains a vital platform for grassroots democracy.
Federation President Jelma Crystel Implica stressed that eliminating the SK, as suggested by Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla, would silence young people who are now actively shaping local governance.
“We respect ang opinion ni Secretary Remulla. But in our humble opinion, it is still vital. If we abolish it, paano na lang ang mga young people naton? They’ll be deprived sang ila voice to voice out their concerns, to support their advocacies,” she said.
Rather than abolition, Implica urged national agencies to strengthen mechanisms that promote productivity and accountability among SK leaders.
“We would like to call on DILG and other agencies to really strengthen ang aton nga mga measures and obligations para sa mga kabataan, para nga mas maging productive kag ma-apply gid nila ang ila mga ulubrahon sa ila tagsa ka barangay,” she explained.
She acknowledged long-standing criticisms of SK units — such as inactivity and fund misuse — but emphasized that Republic Act 10742, or the SK Reform Act, already requires stricter transparency.
In Iloilo City, the federation has put in place compliance checks before youth councils access their annual budgets.
“Before giving the endorsement letter sa amon nga development plan, all SK chairmen and their councils must pass or comply with their transmittal reports, minutes and resolutions of their meetings, their monitoring evaluation forms. Only then will they be able to release their fund for a specific year. That’s what we are doing here in Iloilo City as part of transparency and accountability,” Implica said.
According to her, all 180 SK councils in the city are fully functional, showing that with proper oversight, youth councils can deliver.
“I really believe that if we push for abolition, we take away the democracy of that very important sector, which is the youth,” she added.
The debate over the future of SK comes as Congress and the DILG review its effectiveness amid charges of inefficiency and politicization. For Implica, however, the solution is clear: reform, not abolition.
“SK is a training ground for responsible citizenship. If we take it away, we deny the youth their rightful space in shaping the future of their communities,” she stressed./PN
