A legislative measure that seeks to grant Barangay Official Eligibiity, the equivalent of basic professional civil service eligibility, to elected and appointed Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan officials who have served their terms of office as such, has recently been filed in Congress.
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who authored House Bill 7719, said the BOE granted to qualified SK officials shall be “considered appropriate for appointment to first level positions in the career service, except for positions covered by board laws and/or those that require other special eligibilities as determined by the Commission, or those that require licenses.”
Salceda said the measure “espouses the higher purpose of fortifying the participation of the youth in nation building which promotes and protects physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being, and inculcate patriotism, nationalism and other desirable values, and encourages their involvement in public and civic affairs.”
He noted that the age requirement for both Barangay and SK candidates is now virtually the same—18 years old and above for barangay officials and 18 to 24 for Sangguniang Kabataan Kagawads.
The measure amends certain provisions of RA 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991, to include SK Kagawads in the BOE program, When enacted into law, the measure shall be known as Sangguniang Kabataan Barangay Official Eligibility Act, said Salceda.
Presently, the BOE is granted only to elected Barangay Chairmen (Captains), regular Sangguniang Barangay Members, Sangguniang Kabataan Chairmen; and Barangay Treasurers and Barangay Secretaries who are appointed by the duly elected Punong Barangay. The BOE grant is strictly based on their having fully completed their mandated terms of office as defined by prevailing law.
The enactment of Republic Act 10742 on Jan. 15, 2016, more known as the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015, has retained the Barangay SK chairman and seven members, who must be aged 18 to 24 on election day. They are elected at large by the youth residents in the community for a 3-year term.
The age requirement for SK members was formerly set at 15-21. The elected SK chair is authorized to appoint an SK Secretary and SK Treasurer from the community’s youth, with the approval of a majority of the SK council. Their term is co-terminus with the SK Chair.
Salceda said that beyond the question of age, the higher purpose of HB 7719 is “to further empower youth participation in nation building.”
