Barangay, SK poll period to start April 14 with new rules for youth bets

The election period for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will begin on April 14 with new rules for the youth gunning for office in the May 14, 2018 local polls.

Among the qualifications for barangay and SK candidates are:

• Filipino citizen;
• Resident of barangay for one year before election day;
• Able to read and write in Filipino, English, or local language;
• For SK, aged 18 to 24 on election day;
• Per anti-dynasty law, no relation by blood or marriage within the second civil degree to incumbent officials;
• No conviction of moral turpitude charges.

SK candidates who win the elections must undergo mandatory training prior to assuming office and will receive continuing education during their term.

SK voters, meanwhile, must be aged 15 to 30.

Candidates may also be required to submit a resumé with no standard format if the Department of the Interior and Local Government's proposal is approved by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The resumé will be made public to allow voters to learn about the qualifications of their candidates and if they have pending cases.

A drug test may also be proposed, but its results will only be made public with the candidates' consent.

The Comelec and the DILG are confident that the May 14 Barangay and SK elections will push through because there is no sufficient time for the Senate to approve a bill for another postponement.

Elected SK officials to undergo training

National Youth Commission (NYC) Assistant Secretary Rhea Peñaflor said SK officials will undergo mandatory continuing education throughout their term.

This aims to orient SK officers with the Sanggunian's history, code of conduct, and procurement law, in addition to teaching them how to preside over official functions and conduct seminars for their youth development programs.

Youth elected to office will receive 10 percent of general funds for these programs, to be allocated from the barangay's total funds and placed in a separate bank account to monitor their expenditure.

Peñaflor said rigorous training is required to break "mental models" of what SK is and to create youth leaders who will become national politicians in the future.

"Ito na yung pag-practice nila sa local governance. In the future din, they will be the national leaders din. Kumbaga, kapag they run, they already know na meron silang responsibilities na gagawin sa kanilang locality at sa Filipino youth," she said.

Similar training will be provided to first-time barangay officials, though continued training will also be provided to second-termers.

List of 3rd-termers, drug watch may be bared

The DILG will propose to the Comelec to make public a list of candidates on their third consecutive term who may file for candidacy .

In addition to this, they also proposed to put online the list of candidates who will face administrative and criminal charges for failing to implement plans from the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council and are on the drugs watch list.

President Rodrigo Duterte warned of drug syndicates who would try to infuse drug money into the upcoming polls, but later left the decision of postponing the elections for a third time up to Congress. — MDM/BM, GMA News