Bicol bishop adds voice to 'abolish SK' calls

Reports of vote-buying by some candidates for Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) have prompted a Bicol-based bishop to push for the abolition of the SK. Legazpi (Albay) Bishop Joel Baylon made the call in a pastoral letter where he cited “corruption and cheating" during the elections in his diocese alone. "We are calling for the abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan. This institution may have lofty goals and some positive contributions but has been found generally wanting," Baylon said in a pastoral bulletin issued Saturday. "It has failed in teaching the young the values of democracy and the skills for good governance. Far from being an empowering presence, it has become a corrupting influence on our youth," added Baylon, who also heads the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Youth. Baylon made the call less than a week after the synchronized barangay and SK elections, which was held last October 25. Before him, Senator Edgardo Angara had also proposed the abolition of the SK. In his pastoral letter, Baylon said the problem is not with the young people but in the political structure and culture where the SK operates. While he agreed that there is a clear need for youth representation in governance, he said this should not in the manner and form of the current SK. "Sorry state of affairs" "Mere reforms in the SK will not resolve its inherent flaws, its recidivist nature and its sorry state of affairs. It has to be abolished, only then can we make way for better representation and genuine empowerment of the youth," Baylon said. The text of the letter was posted on the CBCP news site Sunday. Citing reports reaching him, Baylon said virtually every priest in his diocese reported vote-buying and selling were rampant in their respective places of assignment and hometowns. He said that in some places, vote-buying for the position of SK chairman reached as high as P1,500 per voter. In some cases, he said young voters were "quartered" in various beach resorts and other places prior to and during Election Day by "political patrons." "Most shocking," he said, were widespread stories of parents of SK bets who funded, supported and pushed their children to bribe other youths into voting for them. "Vote-buying is morally wrong. It is unfair to candidates who have lesser means or who choose the path of principled campaigning. It is unfair to the electorate because it puts undue influence on their right to vote. It subverts the will of the people. Vote-buying feeds the vicious cycle of graft and corruption as politicians and their patrons later find ways to recoup their election 'investments' by stealing from government projects and exacting political favors," he said. Abolition not the answer Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero had earlier opposed the abolition of SK, saying that the youth should be given a chance at governance. "Tutol ako doon, kung may kulang, punuan natin, kung may baluktot, diretsuhin natin, kung may dapat gawin, gawin natin. Pero huway naman abolish agad," Escudero said in an interview last Wednesday. (I oppose that. If there are shortcomings, let us make up for it. If there are things that should be straightened up, let's straighten them up. If there are things that have to be done, let's do it. But let us not abolish it right away.) During the Senate hearings on the proposed postponement of the barangay and SK polls earlier this year, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., head of the local government committee, and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri also opposed the scrapping of the SK system. President Benigno Aquino III had earlier said he wants the SK — composed of one chairman and seven councilors — to be restructured to have just one representative. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo has drafted a bill calling for such setup. Higher stakes But Baylon voiced fears the stakes will be even higher in the next round of elections. "When the next round of election this time for the SK Federation President on the municipal, city and provincial levels come, another level of vote-buying, 'quartering' and corruption of youth leaders would almost certainly arise, involving bigger sums of money and more scandalous forms of bribery," he said. Bayon said the SK elections have failed in teaching the young the values of democracy and the skills for good governance. "Far from being an empowering presence, it has become a corrupting influence on our youth," he added. "The problem is not with our young people but in the political structure and culture where the SK operates," he added. Baylon clarified that the youth should not be stifled, as there is still a clear need for youth representation in governance. He also said the training of the young should not be stymied, and there is a definite need for their political empowerment. “But not in the manner and form of the current SK," he stressed. - KBK, GMANews.TV