Postponed SK polls vital in reforming system – Belmonte

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. believes Republic Act 10656’s postponement of the Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October next year will allow Congress to deliberate on various bills seeking to reform the SK system.

“The postponement will enable both houses of Congress to adequately discuss much needed reforms towards a more responsive SK, and which are appropriate amendments to applicable provision of the Local Government Code,” he said.

Belmonte said the postponement will also allow the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to focus on and fully prepare for the national and local elections in May 2016.

“With so many positions up for grabs in the coming May polls, the Comelec needs full attention to prepare for and ensure that the elections will be conducted successfully in an honest, orderly and peaceful manner,” he said.

 Last Wednesday President Aquino signed into law RA 10656 moving the SK polls to the first Monday of October 2016 to coincide with the barangay elections.

The SK elections were initially set for Oct. 28, 2013 before Congress reset it to Feb. 21, 2015.

SK funds for anti-hunger projects

Sen. Ralph Recto said about P7.7 billion in SK funds can be diverted toward anti-hunger projects after RA 10656 moved the polls to October 2016,

The P7.7 billion represents the SKs’ 10 percent share from the P76.7 billion in Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) that barangays will get from the national government this year, he added.

Recto said barangays can use the amount  for child-feeding and for other programs to reduce the number of malnourished children. 

“If there’s a dividend to be gained from the postponement, then it should come in the form of children’s meals,” he said.

Recto said RA 10632 postponing previous SK polls requires Sangguniang Barangays to continue spending the SK fund “solely for youth development programs.”

The  law requires that 10 percent of barangay funds be used for youth development programs, he added.

Recto said Malacañang can officially encourage the use of SK funds for nutrition projects and order the appropriate agencies to issue circulars recommending to barangays that feeding projects be given priority.

“The right of the barangays to select projects will remain,” he said.

“The circular will just provide strong guidance. But even as a ‘food for thought,’ it can mobilize resources to that area.”

Recto said using SK funds for feeding programs in barangay day care centers  will promote literacy and nutrition at the same time.

“Or it can tackle the supply side by sponsoring the cultivation of vegetable plots, establishment of food banks or even education drives that will warn against unhealthy food,” he said.

Doing so would allow SK funds to augment two national programs on cutting child malnutrition, he added.

The SK share of P7.7 billion of the IRA is three times bigger than the 2015 appropriation for the Department of Tourism, twice that of the Department of Trade and Industry, six times that of the Civil Service Commission, and bigger than the combined budget of the 26 state universities and colleges in the Visayas, Recto said.

For this year, the total IRA is P389.8 billion, with the 81 provinces getting P91 billion; 144 cities sharing P89.2 billion; 1,478 towns, P132.9 billion; and 41,899 barangays, P76.7 billion.

Under the 2015 national budget, the DepEd is allocated P2.8 billion to provide meals to 1.93 million undernourished grade schoolers. – With Christina Mendez