THE National Youth Commission is urging barangays to use the Sangguniang Kabataan funds responsibly, dutifully and solely for youth development purposes.
"The SK has not been abolished. It is merely on hold," Jason Balag-ey, NYC-Northern Luzon spokesperson, said.
Balag-ey said the SK funds for the summer is now on the hands of the respective barangays who will designate the committee chairman on youth development to utilize the money for various youth activities.
In a similar statement chairman of the NYC, Undersecretary Leon Flores III said, "We implore all barangays to make judicious use of the 10 percent supposed SK funds intended for meaningful youth programs. Bawal ang mga infrastructure programs dito o ang summer outings. Nakita natin na dati, maraming nagsasayang sa pondong pangkabataan upang mag-lakwatsa lamang o gumawa ng sandamakmak na epal signages."
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently released the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 10632, which sets clear guidelines on the utilization of the SK funds and the creation of a Task Force on Youth Development at the barangay level.
The chairperson of the Youth and Sports Development Committee in the barangay and in mandating the Barangay Task Force on Youth Development to create a Barangay Youth Development Plan.
The IRR was finalized after a series of consultations among the Comelec, NYC, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the DILG, National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO), Legal and Legislative Liaison Service (LLLS) and its regional offices.
Balag-ey said youth programs on capacity-building, leadership training, youth camp program, employability skills training value formation, citizenship-nation-building seminar, health services and adolescent reproductive health program, out of school youth programs, socio-cultural and sports development, disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation events can be done during the summer term.
Baleg-ey said SK officials who were forced to step down may still participate in the youth events and urge the barangay committee on youth development to implement events.
Balag-ey is also urging past SK officials to take it as part of their responsibility to oversee the barangay youth funds are put into place.