THE Bacolod City Council has approved on first reading an ordinance granting honorarium, other benefits and privileges to all elected and appointed Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials.
Authored by Councilor Ayesha Joy Villaflor, the ordinance was approved during the regular session of the City Council on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Villaflor said pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 11768 or an act strengthening reforms the SK, institutionalizing additional reforms to revitalize youth participation in local governance and by providing honorarium, other benefits and privileges, amending RA No. 10742 or the SK reform Act of 2015, SK have the inherent rights to receive honorarium, other benefits and privileges pursuant to what the law may seem valid.
She said in the maintenance of strengthening the SK, it is necessary that specific rules or special laws should be adopted and enforced in the interest of effective administration.
“In order to regulate and adjust with the unexpected changes in the local governance, the SK Federation of Bacolod recognizes the need for the passage and ratification of such ordinance to grant honorarium, other benefits and privileges to all elected and appointed SK officials,” she added.
Section 4 of the proposed ordinance also said the SK members, including the SK treasurer and secretary, shall receive a monthly honorarium chargeable against the SK funds, and shall be granted at the end of every regular monthly SK meeting.
Villaflor said the monthly SK honorarium shall not exceed the monthly compensation received by the SK chairperson.
She said not more than 25 percent of the SK funds shall be allocated for personal services.
The local government unit through the office of the local chief executive may provide additional honorarium, as well as social welfare contributions and hazard pay to the SK chairperson and their elected and appointed members and shall be subject to the post-audit jurisdiction of the Commission on Audit (COA), the official said.
The ordinance also mandates that SK members, including the SK treasurer and secretary, shall be recipients of the PhilHealth benefits and other hazard pay granted by the local government unit through the office of the local chief executive reliant on the availability of funds and shall be subject to COA rules.