NYC Confident SK elections will push through

Hundreds of new voters crowd the Comelec satellite registration center in Robinson’s Cybergate after Comelec officials announced that there is no more extension for voters registration that ended on April 29.
CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

THE Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections will push through this coming October, said an official of the National Youth Commission.

“We are pushing for the SK elections this October so that our youth can have participation (in government). And I heard that our senators are not objecting to this. So tuloy na tuloy na sya sa (it’s really pushing through this) October and we are very happy,” NYC Commissioner for Visayas Rhea Peñaflor told reporters.

She met with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña at City Hall Thursday morning.

Her announcement comes amid a pending proposal in the House of Representatives to postpone the SK elections again.

In order to prove their detractors wrong, Peñaflor urged all those who will be able to vote during the elections to make sure to choose the right leaders.

She said the NYC wants to change the people’s mindset that the SK is nothing but a training ground for “trapos” or traditional politicians and even corrupt public officials.

“That is why we are calling on the youth to choose the right youth leaders because it is a democratic country. If you choose those who you know are corrupt or will not work, it will come back to us. We will be the ones suffering,” she said.

“So it is time for our youth to choose the right persons, those responsible and have genuine care for their fellow youth,” Peñaflor added.

Last March, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) approved a resolution setting the election period for the SK elections from September 23 toOctober 30, 2017.

Filing of certificates of candidacy will be from September 23 to September 30 while the campaign period for candidates will be from October 13 to 21.

Election day will be on October 23 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Peñaflor said she met with the mayor and talked about youth programs for Cebu and for other areas in the Visayas.

“I’m very happy because he is also very supportive of our youth programs in Cebu City,” she said.

She said the mayor expressed his interest in establishing “youth hubs” in Cebu City, which she said are like centers where the youth can gather. It can also double as a one-stop shop where youth oriented service can be available.

She said the city plans to send a team to Iloilo to study this program since Iloilo already has around 50 centers that have been made into youth hubs.

The commissioner highlighted the need to focus on the 30 million youth all over the country, which she said are the key in nation-building especially as the country is going through challenges like the terror attacks in Marawi City.