BY: ANGELICA ARQUERO
With only six months left before the next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, several barangays in Baguio City continue to face challenges due to the absence of SK officials.
In Barangay City Camp Proper, a newly constructed barangay hall stands ready, complete with a designated office space for the SK council on the second floor.
However, the space remains unused, there is no SK chairperson or councilor to occupy it.
According to Barangay Captain Jaime Bustarde, no youth resident of their community, which has around 2,000 people, ran for an SK position during the 2023 elections.
“What’s the purpose of a barangay if there’s no youth involvement?” Bustarde said.
He added that while they still manage to carry out some youth-oriented activities, the absence of an official SK makes it harder to organize and sustain these programs.
“Even though we don’t have an SK, we still push through with youth programs,” he said. “But it’s different if there’s an SK council, because they’re the ones who will really handle and maintain these programs.”
Because there is no SK, there is also no quorum, meaning the allocated SK budget remains untouched. By law, only SK officials can use those funds.
Bustarde admitted that they sometimes have to improvise. “Sometimes we just convince our relatives to attend seminars or join youth programs,” he said. “That’s our challenge, there’s no SK to lead the youth.”
Barangay DPS Compound faces the same issue.
They last had an SK chairperson in 2018.
Since then, regular barangay officials have had to take on the SK’s responsibilities, but without the authority to use the SK budget.
“It’s still better to have youth representing the youth,” said Barangay Captain Ariel Del Monte. “They understand the needs of their fellow young people better than us regular officials.”
Del Monte emphasized that SKs play a major role in nation-building, and he hopes more young people will participate in the next elections.
The SK Federation of Baguio City estimates that 40 to 50 percent of barangays in the city currently have no SK officials or lack a complete council.
“As a result, there’s no one to head youth programs and the 10 percent SK budget from barangay funds goes unused,” said SK Federation President John Rey Mananeng. “Some barangays haven’t been able to accumulate or utilize SK funds at all.”
Mananeng believes the problem stems partly from a lack of awareness among the youth, especially those aged 18 to 24 who are often in college or already working.
“There’s a low level of participation from youth,” he explained. “Many of them can’t fully commit to SK responsibilities anymore.”
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is hoping for increased participation in the upcoming barangay and SK elections in December.
“At least four SK candidates need to run in a barangay to establish a quorum,” said COMELEC Baguio Election Officer Atty. John Paul Martin. “Once there’s a quorum, they can transact official business.”
Roselyn Banggawan, SK chairperson of Barangay Trancoville, said she tries to teach and encourage fellow youth about leadership.
“It’s challenging, yes, but not overwhelmingly difficult,” Banggawan said. “It’s actually enjoyable, like playing while working on activities, with passion and heart.”
In 2023, the SK Federation requested a special election, but it was denied.
“Special elections only apply if there’s no quorum,” Martin clarified.
Currently, the SK Federation is visiting barangays across Baguio to organize youth programs and encourage more young people to ser
ve in their local councils.
