SANGUNIANG Kabataan (SK) president Levy Orcales, on his first city council meeting, now heads the Committee on Youth and Sports Development that will focus on education and health programs.
“Education ang gusto natin to make sure na those who want to study will have the right to education – right to quality but accessible education,” he said adding he plans to coordinate with universities so scholarships will be availed by those who want to study.
Orcales plans to pass a legislative agenda for a moratorium on the increasing tuition and other fees of private universities, especially those whose fees are increasing yearly urging them to be transparent to where these fees are being utilized.
The SK chief said priority will also be given for the reduction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/Aids) and teenage pregnancy cases in the city through awareness campaigns.
“One priority is to reduce the number of HIV/Aids cases kasi bumababa nang bumababa yung age of those affected. And that also applies to teenage pregnancy cases, kase mataas ang number of cases sa city,” he said.
Orcales said crafting the most effective plan to reduce and eradicate HIV-Aids and teenage pregnancy cases is in order starting from awareness campaign.
“A lot of these cases do not yet know the repercussions or consequences ng premarital sex,” the SK chair added.
He said plans to coordinate with the City Health Centers so the youth would freely visit the office for contraceptives can be oriented will be done rather than having the Department of Health to distribute condoms and contraceptives.
Orcales is also backing the measure to have a common closing of bars in the city for the youth to void over-drinking which can lead to violence.
“Sana magkaroon ng uniform na time or fixed time of the closing of bars kase if you allow them to have an option to go to other bars, parang wala ding nangyari, parang nag-inom din sila kase eh kabataan ngayon gusto nating maiwasan yung masyadong lasing kase this can cause violence or undue action towards other people. Ayaw din natin silang masaktan or may mangyaring masama sa kanila,” he said. (With a report from Emma Guillermo/ MMSU intern)