Ninety-seven (97) Sangguniang Kabataan Councils in the province of Catanduanes and elsewhere will remain incomplete even with the issuance of a new circular providing for the filling-up of vacancies in the SK.
Last Dec. 11, 2024, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Youth Commission (NYC) issued Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2024, guiding SK and other local officials on their roles in the filling up of vacancies in the youth council.
The circular also operationalizes and supplements certain provisions of Sec. 19 of Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10742 (The SK Reform Act of 2015) as amended by RA 11768, which sought to strengthen the SK, institutionalized additional reforms to revitalize youth participation in local governance and provided honorarium, other benefits and privileges.
Previous guidelines generally provide that a vacancy in the post of SK chairperson can be filled up by the SK member who obtained the highest number of votes in the preceding election if the SK chairperson refuses to assume office, fails to qualify, voluntarily resigns, dies, is permanently incapacitated, or is removed from office.
The circular signed by NYC chairperson and CEO Joseph Francisco R. Ortega and DILG Sec. Juanito Victor C. Remulla allows the filling up of the top SK post through the appointment of an officer-in-charge by the city or municipal mayor if the reason for the vacancy does not fall under the conditions previously enumerated, especially if no one ran for SK chairperson during the last election.
The SK members are supposed to convene to discuss the procedure, agree on the manner of nomination, and come up with a list of at least three (3) nominees submitted by all SK members.
The body shall likewise ensure that all shortlisted nominees for appointed OIC SK chairperson meet all qualifications set under Sec. 10 of the Revised IRR of RA 10742.
Fortunately, all 315 SK councils in the province each have an SK chairperson.
However, except for the towns of Gigmoto and Pandan, the rest of the nine municipalities have a total of 97 barangays with incomplete SK councils, or with members less than the required seven.
Based on the list provided by the DILG Catanduanes provincial office, the barangays with incomplete SK councils are in Bagamanoc (4), Baras (8), Bato (16), Caramoran (12), Panganiban (6), San Andres (8), San Miguel (11), Viga (8) and Virac (24).
During the October 2023 Barangay and SK Elections, there were three barangays were there were no candidates for SK members and 11 others who had either one or two candidates.
Under the DILG-NYC joint circular, vacancies in the SK membership can be filled up through the conduct of the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) assembly, but only if vacancy happens during the term of office (i.e., the SK members resigns, dies, is incapacitated, removed from office, or assumes as SK chairperson or any other elective position).
In case of temporary vacancies in the SK in situations where there is only one or two or none of members can perform duties due to legal incapacity such as suspension from office, these may be filled up through designation by DILG Secretary, the circular states.
The DILG has rebuffed queries from LGUs on whether the DILG can be granted authority to conduct SK special elections to fill up the vacant SK posts, saying that it is the Commission on Elections which is the proper agency to conduct such special polls.