Monday, April 28, 2008 Arroyo allows DILG to appoint SK officials
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo authorized the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to appoint the chairman and officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in every barangay in the country where there existing vacancies are available.
Arroyo, in issuing Administrative Order (AO) 224, said the appointees should be between the age of 15 and 18 years old; should have lived in the area for at least six months; and is a registered member of the SK or the barangay.
The President said the appointment would cover areas where there were no elected SK officials during the synchronized barangay and SK elections on October 29, 2007; no elected SK official despite the conduct of a special election on December 15, 2007; and/or areas where there were elected candidate but the number where insufficient to complete a new set of SK officers.
She added that the appointees would only serve the unexpired portion of the term of office of the vacant seat.
She stressed that it is important to fill up any existing vacancies in the SK as the body helps in strengthening the role of the youth in nation building.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) after the October synchronized elections declared that there was a failure of elections in at least 370 barangays nationwide, which eventually underwent special elections two months later. Of the 300, about 200 of which in Lanao del Sur, only 30 barangays had been declared having a failure of special elections. (JMR/Sunnex)
