Low turnout of candidates may be due to lack of faith among youth on SK, experts, youth leaders
Twenty-year-old Lea (not her real name) was giving away free school supplies to less privileged children in her barangay in Lapu-Lapu City.
The incoming third year business administration student gathered donations from a local store alongside monetary and in-kind donations from friends and relatives.
“I started this project three years ago with a simple Facebook post and people responded. It made me realize that I can help out in my own little ways” she said.
Lea used to be interested in running for a seat in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) but later lost interest after it was postponed in 2013
What turned her off was the corruption in the institution that was meant to involve the youth in
nation building.
“Even when the term of the previous SK leaders ended in November 2013, I still saw corruption in the task force that replaced them. It was the same old system of trapo (traditional politicians) influencing the youth to engage in corrupt ways such as bloating the budget for sports equipment,” she said.
She was referring to the eight-member Task Force on Youth Development that was put up in the interim to take charge of concerns and advocacies involving the youth as well as SK budget.
Seeing SK as a messy institution, Lea doubts if the SK Reform Law can do something to eliminate the youth’s involvement in corrupt activities.
“There are very few people who are sincere and genuine in their intentions to serve,” she said.
Lea’s sentiments is common among many young individuals who have lost faith in the moral ascendancy of the SK officials to implement and manage projects without issues on corruption, said Jess Anthony dela Cruz, chief of the Cebu City Youth Development Office.
“Because of past experiences where older politicians manipulate and control the youth, they have developed a sense of distrust towards the government,” said Dela Cruz, who worked with SK Federation presidents in Cebu City from 2008 to 2014.
“They would rather organize their own groups and seek private funding to implement their activities. Others prefer to volunteer because there is no politics involved,” he added.
The lukewarm response of the youth in the SK election in May is evident in the low turnout of candidates.
A total of 8,421 SK seats is needed to be filled in the 1,203 barangays in Cebu province including the highly-urbanized cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.
But only 13,942 individuals filed their certificates of candidacy on April 21 even if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gave the aspiring candidates another day to file their COCs.
Mario, who was SK chair in one village in Lapu-Lapu City from 2002 to 2007, believed that the new anti-political dynasty provision in the reformed SK Law “had a lot to do with the low SK COC turnout.”
“It’s disheartening, but the reality is, SK has always been connected to political dynasty since its formation,” said Mario, who asked not to share his real name to protect his privacy.
Mario said elected SK chairmen were already appointed by barangay officials even before the COCs were filed.
He said he was 17 when he initially intended to run for SK councilor because two names were already selected for the chairman position.
Mario said the two persons happened to be cousins and their grandfather didn’t like the idea that his two grandchildren were vying for the same position.
“One of them backed out, and then I was selected to fill the vacant spot. Some incumbent barangay officials may lack the drive to push for the formation of a complete set of SK chairman and councilors because they are not their sons, grandchildren, or nephews who will be eventually elected after the pre-selection process,” he said.
During his time, Mario said most of the elected SK chairmen were kin of politicians, and the SK Federation president was a grandchild of a barangay
captain.
The Comelec earlier said that the anti-dynasty provision of the SK Reform Law of 2015 may have prevented SK aspirants to seek elective positions since most of them are related to barangay officials.
The landmark law will be implemented for the first time in the May 2018 barangay and SK elections.
But the need to get a financial and political backing of traditional politicians is discouraging the youth to run in the SK polls, said Marcley Augustus Natu-el, who recently graduated Cum Laude and Batch Valedictorian of the University of San Carlos (USC) College of Law.
“Without the backing and support of the political families due to anti-political dynasty feature of the SK reform act, (the youth) simply does not have the confidence to run an election campaign like the way they used to due to financial concerns,” said Natu-el.
Natu-el said the youth needs to be empowered to understand that running for SK seats, or any positions for that matter, do not need the backing of politicians in order to prove that they can serve the community.
“If given the chance, the youth will always serve. We should empower the youth with the resources and the means that will allow them to fulfill their purpose of building a better nation,” he said.
The new SK law also creates “a more genuine, competitive, purposive and meaningful political space or (leveling of the) playing field in SK,” said USC professor Grace Magalzo-Bualat.
“Contrary to the excuses of many politicians, passing an anti-political dynasty law is indeed doable. This time, we are learning from the youth. We have reversed the norm,” said Bualat, chair of the USC Political Science Department.
But it may be too strong to conclude that the youth is disinterested about public service at this point, said Brenette Abrenica, USC Community Extension Services director.
She pointed out that the youth may just be more comfortable to interact with people online than face them outside their virtual world but at the same time, reach wider audience.
“This (online) platform has created a new type of interaction. Added to this is their new appreciation of the government and the entire concept of public service,” said Abrenica, also faculty member of the USC Political Science Department.
This same mindset is the same as Lea’s – carry out a mission to serve the community without getting a seat in the SK.
Abrenica highlighted the contrast of the immense access provided by the online world and the exclusivity of a world one prefers to create.
She said this manifests the preference to be alone and indifferent.
The low turnout of SK candidates, she added, was just a “symptom of a big phenomenon of individualism.”
But Abrenica said this can be balanced by a strong, reliable and youth-appealing information and education program for public service.
Still, there are still those who are attracted by the call to serve the public.
While only the SK chairman earns a salary, Riziel Saladaga decided to run for SK councilor to continue serving the youth after she graduated valedictorian from senior high school.
Saladaga, 18, was president of the student council of Tisa National High School.
“The SK is the soul of the barangay’s youth. It’s the SK who implements activities and manages issues involving the youth. The SK looks into the various aspects and needs of the youth unlike other organizations which only focus on one aspect,” she said