EDITORIAL - Another look at the SK

With teenagers enjoying the right to vote in this country, there is never a shortage of politicians looking after the concerns of the youth. Whether in Congress or local governments, political leaders long past their youth push measures to promote the welfare not just of teenage voters but also of the very young.

This was one of the major arguments against the establishment of youth councils or Sangguniang Kabataan. But the SK was launched, and soon gained a reputation for being little more than a vehicle for the entry of politicians’ children into the family business.

After many years of having SK representatives on the payroll of taxpayers, several quarters feel this experiment is an unnecessary drain on scarce public funds. Few Filipinos are even aware of what SK representatives are supposed to do. Calls for the abolition of the youth councils are mounting, and the calls deserve consideration.

The Philippine bureaucracy is bloated enough, with people performing the same functions and agencies existing simply to provide unnecessary jobs at taxpayers’ expense. Elected officials keep finding creative ways to add to their ranks, also at taxpayers’ expense. The party-list system is an expensive farce. If public funds can be saved by abolishing useless positions, the proposal is worth pursuing. It’s time to review the need for the youth councils.