‘Abolish SK, one youth representative enough’

MANILA, Philippines — The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) should be abolished, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said, asserting that a single member of the barangay council can represent the youth.

In an interview with radio dzBB over the weekend, Macalintal said the youngest member of the village council can become chairman of the committee on youth.

Macalintal denounced the postponement of the barangay and SK elections to November 2028 – the third time under the Marcos administration.

The prolonged delay in the BSKE would make incumbent youth council officials ineligible to run in the next elections, he noted.

Provisions of the new law delaying the BSKE, particularly the “fixed” five-year term and the two-year term extension for village and youth council officials, would make SK officials overaged, Macalintal said.

Under the SK Reform Act of 2015, youth council officials must be between 18 to 24 years old at the time of their election.

The SK chairperson would be an ex-officio member of the barangay council and automatically head its youth and sports committee, entitled to a “pro-rata honoraria for every session of the Sangguniang Barangay he or she has attended.”