TO GUIDE the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials in their lawmaking, the SK Federation, in partnership with the Vice Mayor’s Office (VMO), conducted a legislative session to enhance the policymaking skills of SK officials.
David John Renoy, SK chair of Catalunan Grande, said the session was instrumental because some elected officials are unfamiliar with writing resolutions and ordinances. He said this would be a huge help in running their respective offices and ensuring their programs for the youth would continue.
“Ang pinakadako na makita namo nga benefit ani nga program karon is that mas klaro na sa amoa and mas naa siyay detailed na explanation, detailed na instructions kung unsaon namo siya pag craft,” he said in a media interview on Friday afternoon, February 21, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
(The biggest benefit of this program is that it is now clearer for us, and it provides a detailed explanation with step-by-step instructions on how to craft resolutions and ordinances)
Renoy expressed that most of the SK councils in the city are confused about how to start drafting the necessary documents and how to manage the council in their barangay. He added that with the training, they would be able to effectively lead in their barangays, especially for those running for the first time in the SK elections.
Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain Jr. explained that the session was to teach SK chairmen the processes and rules of legislation. He said by learning these, the SK officials would be able to apply them in their own sessions and meetings. He hopes that they will be able to learn from the session and pass on the information to their fellow SK officials.
Quitain shared that the SK officials who underwent the session were 40 SK chairpersons from District 1 and that officials from other districts will be included in the following sessions.
“It’s in the works now, of course, we will cater to all the three districts,” he said.
After all the SK officials have undergone the policy training, they will check in on the SKs in the city to assess if there has been an improvement in their performance.
Apart from teaching SK officials on policymaking, the VMO also launched the e-book of the Compilation of Basic Laws and Principles Affecting the Barangay: 2024 Edition, which was updated by Quitain.
To recall, Quitain announced the completion of the book on October 16, 2024, and will be sending a copy to the 182 barangays in the city. He hopes that the book will serve as a reference for council sessions, particularly if concerns about barangays arise during meetings.
He said that in keeping up with the times, they launched it in e-book form so that everyone can have access to it. Another reason they opted for an e-book was that they did not have enough copies to distribute to the SK officials. RGP
