Awareness on Programs, Projects and Activities of the Sagguniang Kabataan in the

Municipality of Santiago, Ilocos Sur

A baby thesis

Presented to

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences

University of Northern Philippines

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

In partial fulfilment of the requirement of the course

Political science 105 – Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Political Data

By

Sinta V. Sabado
 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Socioeconomic concerns such as poverty, hunger, violence, injustice, and

prejudice are all challenges that only the youth can resolve. It is significant that the youth

should still be valued and held to high standards. The Sangguniang Kabataan gives young

people the opportunity to participate in governmental politics as well as secure place

away from dangers of drug addictions, gambling, harassment, child abuse, and other

harmful influences and wrongdoings. The Philippines had already passed legislation to

guarantee that the voices of children and adolescents were recognized on concerns that

directly affecting them. Currently, the Philippines is the only country on earth with a

grass roots movement, funded by the system of government for youths that is recognized

all throughout country.

The Sangguniang Kabataan or youth council is the governing body of the youth

assembly or Katipunan ng Kabataan of every barangay. They are elected by the members

of, the Katipunan ng Kabataan in elections conducted by the Commission on Elections

(COMELEC). SK and Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) provide opportunity for young

year-olds were created through the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act

7160).

The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Reform Act of 2015 (Republic Act No. 10742)

affirms the role of the Filipino youth in nation-building. This Act strengthens support for

the creation of mechanisms and opportunities to realize SK‘s meaningful and active

participation in governance. This is why the Sangguniang Kabataan Operations Manual

(SK OM) was developed with the following objectives. General Objective: To guide SK

officials in understanding and performing their roles and functions as leaders in youth

development.

Specific Objectives:

• To provide a clear and easy to understand process guide that will help SK officials to

effectively and efficiently execute the day-to- day operation of the organization;

• To identify the expected output of SK officials to guide them in achieving their

mandated functions; and

• To instill social, moral, and ethical responsibility and accountability among SK

officials.

The youth is an integral part of the society. However, youth is often excluded in

the political processes. In countries such Kabataan. The Sangguniang Kabataan is a

platform re-established under Republic Acts no. 10742 known as Sangguniang Kabataan

Reform Act. The purpose for its establishment is for youth representatives to implement

programs and influence decision-making. Certain privileges for Sangguniang Kabataan

10742 which incentivizes young individuals to run for positions in the Sangguniang

Kabataan. as the Philippines, an aspect of the political is catered to the youth in the form

of the Sangguniang Kabataan. (Palomares et al. 2021)

In Republic Act No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991,

formed the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) to tap and harness the energy, enthusiasm, and

idealism of young people. Those aged 15 to 17 years old in a barangay could register in

the KK and have the right to vote and be voted into a governing body called the

Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). The SK chairperson assumes a seat in the Barangay

Council, and is given full powers and authority like any member of the Council. The idea

is truly ahead of its time: a pioneering effort that sets the Philippines apart. The law sets

the stage for the youth to acquire leadership skills by actually becoming leaders: learn

how to speak and be heard in the world of adults, and be empowered to create programs

and policies that will help solve society’s problems. R.A. 7160 is now more than a decade

old. Policymakers are divided in determining whether or not the SK has served its

purpose. Some argue that the SK introduced young people to political patronage and

maneuvering instead of nurturing and strengthening idealism. There is also a perception

that the SK has not engendered genuine youth participation since most of its members

hail from well-to-do or political families. On the other hand, there are those who believe

that the SK’s full potential has yet to be explored. In the 2003 Second National

Consultation Workshop on Child Soldiers in the Philippines, participants identified the

SK as one of the potential partners toward increased youth participation in the campaign

against the use of children as soldiers.1 These debates led to proposals to abolish or
change the SK. In Congress, House Bill 185 was filed to seek the SK’s abolition, while

the SK Reform Bill introduces changes to the law. As these are not based on empirical

studies, the government asked the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-Manila to

17fund a systematic, nationwide assessment of the SK’s impact on the youth to serve as a

basis for more rational and effective recommendations. (National Barangay Operations

Office 2007)

Barangay governance plays a vital role in the empowerment of local government

units in a country. By virtue of RA 7160, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) was created in

the Philippines. The SK serves as a platform for young leaders' accountabilities, fairness,

and transparencies in the exercise of their duties and functions as servants of the

adolescent community. of the many programs and activities of the present SK officials in

Barangay Banaba West, Batangas City, the researchers thought of coming up with a

study that would assess its effectiveness, identify its impacts to the adolescent community

and propose strategies, that will strengthen the SK officials' programs and activities.

(Enopiquez et. Al. 2018).

In addition, The PYDP enjoins all state duty bearers at the national and local

levels to maximize the participation of the youth in nation-building as responsible and

proactive citizens. It informs our development partners such as civil society and non-

government organizations, international and national donors, the Church, media and the

business community of the rewarding social, economic and ethical opportunities of fully

engaging the youth in their respective programs. The National Youth Commission

(NYC), in the pursuit of its mandate as the “sole policy-making coordinating body of all

youth-related institutions, programs, projects and activities (PPAs) of the government”

Development Plan 2022)

these are the possible SK Projects and Activities according to the Philippine

Youth Development Plan (PYDP) 9 Centers of  Youth Participation: Health, Education,

Economic Empowerment, Social Inclusion and Equity, Peace Building and Security,

Governance, Active Citizenship, Environment, Global Mobility. Sangguniang Kabataan

was created because the Philippines  recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-

building. It was made to encourage youths’ involvement in public and civic affairs.

In conclusion, Youths must participate through community-based projects,

programs and activities that are primarily centered on sports, youth development,

education and environmental and health protection for the welfare of all.

The researcher aims to find out the awareness on Programs, Projects and

Activities of the Sangguniang Kabataan to engage the youth to participate and to be

active. Moreover, to be aware of their responsibilities community's status and its capacity

to address and resolve problems affecting adolescents. Sangguniang Kabataan have hope

for how they may contribute to the community's reforms and improvement and

betterment.

Statement of the problem

This study sought to determine the awareness on programs, projects and activities of the

Sangguniang Kabataan in the municipality of Santiago, Ilocos Sur.

Specifically, it sought answer to the following:

a. Age

b. Sex

c. Civil Status

d. Educational attainment

e. Religious Affiliation

2. What is the level of awareness of the Sangguniang Kabataan on programs and

projects and activities?

3. is their significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and the

level of awareness on the Programs, Projects and Activities of Sangguniang Kabataan?

Significance of the study

The Sangguniang Kabataan was created for youth empowerment. The SK should be the

representative of the youth in the local government. They should provide the youth with

programs that would enhance their overall personality. However, a thorough analysis of

the Sangguniang Kabataan would lead people to a question: is the Sangguniang Kabataan

serving its purpose? Legislators and local leaders say the SK is not. And, funny as it may

seem, some of the youth themselves think that the SK is not functioning as it was

designed to be.
This study aims to present the functions and duties of the Sangguniang Kabataan at

barangay level. Intends to show what needs to be done in order to relive the spirit of

youth representation.

Scope and delimitation

This study focused on the level of awareness of programs, projects and activities

of the Sangguniang Kabataan in the Municipality of Santiago, Ilocos Sur. It looks on the

profile of the respondents, namely sex, age, civil status, religion, educational attainment

and the respondent’s level of awareness, the significant relationship between the profile

of the respondents and their level of awareness. The respondents of the study are the

Sangguniang Kabataan members of Santiago, Ilocos Sur.

The study utilized a survey questionnaire constructed by the researcher and duly

validated by her mentor. The study has 50 sample populations from the 24 barangays

fairly represented using quota sampling.

Methodology

This section presents the research design, population and sample, data gathering

instrument, data gathering procedure, and statistical treatment of data.

Research Design. The researcher employed quantitative research and utilized the

descriptive correlational method of research. A descriptive survey was deemed most

profile and the level of awareness on programs, projects and activities of the Sangguniang

Kabataan. The correlational research was used to determine the significant relationship of

the level of awareness on the Programs, Projects, and Activities of the Sangguniang

Kabataan and the profile of respondents.

Population and Sample. The respondents of this study were the Sangguniang

Kabataan with a total of 50 respondents of Santiago, Ilocos Sur in the year 2022-2023.

Quota Sampling and Random Sampling is used to select respondents randomly.

Data Gathering Instrument. A questionnaire was utilized to collect the relevant

data for this study. The researcher designed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was

created using the Sangguniang Kabataan's Projects, Programs, and Activities as the

primary source in constructing the questionnaire.

The questionnaire was composed of two parts; Part I was about the personal

Profile of the respondents. Part II was measured the level of awareness on the programs,

projects, and activities of Sangguniang Kabataan.

The respondents' level of awareness was measured using a scale of one to

five, which was interpreted using the following norms.

Scale Numerical Value Item Descriptive Overall Descriptive Rating

5 4.21 - 5.00 Very Highly Aware Very High

4 3.41 - 4.20 Highly Aware High

2 1.81 - 2.60 Slightly Aware Low

1 1.00 - 1.80 Not Aware Very Low

Data Gathering Procedure.