The Sangguniang Kabataan Operations Manual

The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act of 2015 (Republic Act No. 10742) affirms the role of the Filipino youth in nation-building. This Act strengthens support for the creation of mechanisms and opportunities to realize SK‘s meaningful and active participation in governance. This is why the Sangguniang Kabataan Operations Manual (SK OM) was developed with the following objectives.

General Objective: To guide SK officials in understanding and performing their roles and functions as leaders in youth development. Specific Objectives:

  • To provide a clear and easy to understand process guide that will help SK officials to effectively and efficiently execute the day-to- day operation of the organization;
  • To identify the expected output of SK officials to guide them in achieving their mandated functions; and
  • To instill social, moral, and ethical responsibility and accountability among SK officials.

I. SK 101

A. Sangguniang Kabataan History1

Kabataang Barangay (KB)

  • Created through Presidential Decree (PD) 684 of 1975 proclaimed by President Marcos;
  • Composed of 15 to 18 years old; and
  • Identified young people‘s roles in community activities and gave the government a way to actively engage young people in the development efforts of the country

Pambansang Katipunan ng Kabataang Barangay (PKKB)

  • Created through Presidential Decree 1191 in 1977; as a unit directly under the Office of the President but granted fiscal autonomy;
  • Expanded the age bracket to 15 to 21- year-olds; and
  • Provided for the creation of a Youth Development Training Program that develops the values and skills of young people for them to become productive leaders

Presidential Council for Youth Affairs (PCYA)

  • Konsultahang Kabataan was organized across the country in 1987 and was attended by 400 youth leaders;
  • Konsultahang Kabataan supported the abolition of KB which was replaced by PCYA through Executive Order 274 of 1987; and
  • PCYA served as the convergence point of all youth organizations, and worked for the creation of the representation of SK

Sangguniang Kabataan (SK)

  • SK and Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) were created through the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act 7160) that provides opportunity for young people to directly participate in local governance;
  • Composed of all youth aged 15 to 21-year-olds;
  • In December 4, 1992, the first SK leaders were elected in nearly 42,000 barangays;
  • In 1995, with the passage of R.A. 8044, that created the National Youth Commission, the secretariat functions of SK were transferred to the NYC which in effect replaced PCYA;
  • In 2002, the age bracket for KK membership was changed, through R.A. 9164, from 15 to 21- year-olds to 15 to 17-year-olds;
  • Challenges faced by SK:
    • over a dozen bills on abolishing or reorganizing SK were filed from 2004 to 2014
    • SK performance in those ten years had been generally weak especially in terms of coming up with legislations, promoting the development of young people, submitting reports and holding consultations with their constituents (UNICEF, 2007)2
    • SK has been criticized, doubted, and questioned due to:
      • its uselessness as a mechanism for getting the youth involved in community development (Senate Press Release, 2008)3
      • allegations of corruption practiced by inefficient, ineffective, and non- performing SK officials (SK Reform and Empowerment Coalition, 2010)4
      • its structure as fertile ground for the breeding of corrupt future politicians and political dynasties (Bacani, 2014)5
      • its lack of wisdom and practicability as it was run by minors who do not have the legal capacity yet to enter into an agreement (Danao, 2015)
    • The SK Election Postponements:
      • In 2005, R.A. 9340 reset the scheduled SK election to October 2007.
      • Again in 2007, House Bill 2417 was passed postponing the said election originally set for October 29 to May 2009. The Senate did not agree with postponement of election so election pushed through as scheduled.
      • R.A.10632 was enacted last October 3, 2013 with no provision for hold-over and appointment. After the completion of the term of SK officials, the positions were left vacant. There are no SK officials until the next election is held. However, the law created an alternative venue for youth participation in governance – the Task Force on Youth Development (TFYD) Council.
      • In 2015, which was when the SK election was expected to be held, the election was postponed again. However, postponement allowed for additional discussions regarding reforms.
      • R.A. 10923 was enacted on October 16, 2016 moving the SK election set on October 31, 2016 to October 23, 2017

On January 15, 2016, SK Reform Act of 2015 (R.A. 10742) was passed. It reinforces the role of youth participation in nation-building making them into better citizens with internalized values of patriotism, nationalism, and honor as a Filipino. The new law revitalizes SK with various significant reforms: (1) age scope expansion, (2) anti-political dynasty provision, (3) financial independence, (4) provision for the establishment of the Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) and the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO), and (5) Mandatory and continuing training of SK officials and mandatory celebration of Linggo ng Kabataan.