To be or Not to be

CEBU, Philippines - The Sangguniang Kabataan or the SK is, at least on paper, a good thing. It represents the youth voice in local public governance. Yet reality offers a different reality. To be or not to be - should the SK be continued?

Philippine law mandates each of the 42,095 barangays in the country to have its own chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan. Each chapter is open to young people, ages 15-17, who are Filipino citizens. This is the local youth program of government and they elect their officers, known as the SK, who serve as the local youth legislature in the barangay.

The SK initiates policies, programs and projects for the development of youth in their respective political territories. They approve resolutions for the youth and appropriate money consisting of 10% of the IRA (Internal Revenue Allocation) of the barangay. The SK Chairman automatically becomes an ex-officio member in the Sangguniang Barangay (Village Council). He or she automatically gets chairmanship of the Committee on Youth and Sports. Every SK is then clustered into municipal, city, and then provincial federations.

A youth voice in local political affairs is something positive. Human dignity demands active participation of the youth as subjects, not objects, of development. After all, the youth are already part of the present, not just the future.

Realities on the ground, however, have led to cycles of decline rather than progress. These have to do with power and its exercise. To start with the IRA allotted to barangays in 2012 amounted to P52 billion. The biggest barangay in the country received P73 million from the IRA in 2012. The SK of this barangay, therefore, got P7.3 million from the IRA alone! This does not yet include locally-generated income.

What impact does this power have over the minds and hearts of youth leaders? Are they ready to handle such power? What enticements does this represent to their adult handlers?

A little more than two years ago, Dilaab did a piggy-back survey with the SWS. We wanted to know about the public's view of the Sangguniang Kabataan or SK. We had three questions: 1) Overall, in the past few years, how much help has the SK done for the youth in your barangay? 2) Do you agree on the statement? "Officials of the SK learn to be corrupt early on and continue these habits when they run for higher positions"; and 3) Do you agree on the statement? "The present law regarding election of the youth council or Sangguniang Kabataan should be continued."

The results were interesting: first, the respondents were nearly evenly split regarding the SK as having a positive or having little impact in the barangay; second, most view the SK as being a breeding ground for corruption; but third, an overwhelming number also think that the SK should still be continued. Unfortunately no follow through questions enabled us to clarify these responses.

Perhaps many people still recognize the continuing importance of the voice of the youth in public affairs and believe that the SK can still be reformed. The question is - how?

Research on Millennials (i.e. those born between 1980 and 2000) show much silver lining behind what may otherwise be a generation that tends towards narcissism. As leaders, for instance, "Millennials are more likely to reject hierarchical leadership, and will lead by team motivation, collegiality, and accountability" (Boston College Center for Work & Family, 12 September 2011). Sadly, this tendency towards accountable leadership remains untapped or, worse, deteriorate through adult intervention. Corruptio optimi pessima - the "corruption of the best is the worst kind of corruption."

But it need not be this way. Why can't we provide organized help to emerge good SK candidates and provide continuing formation and support so youth leaders will do Jose Rizal and Jesse Robredo proud? Why can't civic and service clubs, neighborhood associations, parish networks, renewal groups, sectoral groups and other organizations help identify potential candidates for the SK and barangay elections?

Why can't these same groups provide support and accompaniment to those who have a vocation in politics? After all, Benedict XVI once said: "I confirm the necessity and urgency of the evangelical formation and pastoral accompaniment of a new generation of Catholics working in politics, that they be coherent with the professed faith, that they have moral firmness, the capacity of educated judgment, professional competence and passion for service to the common good."

Why not advocate for some structural changes in the SK like removing salaries and giving only minimal allowance to restore the joy of volunteerism? Why not reduce the workload of SK officials so that they remain primarily students rather than full-time public officials? Is the title "Honorable" really helpful for 15-18 year olds? We should help our young people to gradually learn how to handle and control power, not be overwhelmed or dominated by it.

Last May 2013 elections, the Dilaab movement called on people to pray, vote, reject vote buying, discern their choices well using the LASER (Lifestyle, Action, Supporters, Election Conduct, Reputation) test, and share their judgments to others. We did a house-to-house campaign with pulong-pulong in three sitios in Metro Cebu to help voters rediscover their God-given dignity. After elections, we assessed the impact of our efforts.

The result was both saddening and encouraging. We learned that politicians actually tap into the chapel network to provide them a list of names of people whose votes they will purchase as well as distribute money to voters. Based on our focused group discussion, we found out that many voters, ages 36 and above, who heard about our campaign, continued to sell their votes. We were encouraged, however, to learn that many voters, ages 35 and below and exposed to our campaign, stood their ground against vote buying. Many insisted, against the wishes of their parents, that their names be not included in lists submitted to candidates.

Our experiences were recently confirmed by Rep. Leni Robredo who ran and won in the Third District of Camarines Sur. She attributed her victory to the volunteer work and the voting power of those who are 35 and below. And she did not buy votes.

We also tried to engage all the candidates of Metro Cebu. This made us trans-partisan rather than partisan. We were inspired by Benedict XVI's call for "evangelical formation and pastoral accompaniment" of politicians. A third of the candidates answered our LASER test. These were circulated to groups and parishes.

These experiences convince us that we can and should do more to evangelize politics especially since "Philippine politics-- the way it is practiced-(is) the most pernicious obstacle to our achieving of full human development" (CBCP 1997).

The October elections offer crucial opportunities to do so since Barangay and SK elections are often overlooked compared to national elections. Yet, as we know, all politics is local and our parishes are part of the local setting. Parishes can really contribute to change, one sitio or capilla area at a time. We can learn from Mark 1:15: "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news!" Rejecting vote buying and its variations expresses and requires repentance while emerging discerning voters and good candidates manifest faith in the good news.

Despite outrageous fortunes, many Filipinos still think that the SK - and our barangays - could still be given a new lease on life. But this raises yet another question for the rest of us: to be or not to be involved?

The answer is obvious. (FREEMAN)