Resch to City Council: Help SK officials address funding dilemma

Cebu City Sanguniang Kabataan Federation President Jessica Resch. | photo grabbed from Jessica Resch’s Facebook page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) officials were elected to office more than a year ago, but they have not done much for their constituents.

Cebu City SK Federation President Jessica Resch said they do not have the money to spend on projects and programs that they would have wanted to implement in their respective barangays.

While Memorandum Circular 2019-001 that was released by Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on January 19, 2019 allows the SKs to avail of 10 percent of their barangay’s general funds for their use, “the memorandum does not state the process of fund disbursement and utilization.”

Resch said that even the P1 million assistance which former mayor Tomas Osmeña released to SK officials from the city’s 80 barangays have not been used.  SK officials were asked to present a project proposal to avail of the assistance, but most of them have not been able to use their share of the aid because of uncertainty on the process of disbursement and utilization.

Wanting to address the matter, Resch is now asking the City Council for guidance.  She said that legislation on the matter should be passed if needed.

Resch is also asking the Council to help them bring their concerns to the attention of concerned national government agencies especially the DBM and form an inter-agency task group that will help them find solutions to their concerns.

It would be best, she said, if DBM will organize trainings for them to better understand the process and the implementing rules that govern SK funds utilization and disbursement.

“The SK is helpless without a handbook on the utilization of funds drafted by the Commission on Audit (COA) because even with the funds, they do not have the means to use them,” she said.

“The SK president hopes that with finding a solution to the funding problem, the Cebu City SK Councils can finally function as a governing body of the youth and solve the real problems of the youth sector through their programs,” she added.

Resch said that Memorandum Circular 2019-001 mandates the SKs to use disbursement vouchers signed by the SK chairman and treasurer in fund utilization.  However, the memorandum does not specify the actual disbursement process.

“We urge the National Youth Commission and Department of Interior and Local Government, COA, and city government to take immediate actions in solving these critical issues surrounding the SK councils,” she said.

She said that they also need sit down for a consultative meeting with the DILG on the implementation of the SK Reform Act of 2015 or Republic Act 10742 and suggest possible amendments to the law, if necessary. | dcb