By Johanna M Sampan and Jefferson Antiporda, Manila

The registration of voters for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October appears to have been a success, considering the sheer number of people who enlisted.
But Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr is more worried than pleased.
“Fifty-twomn have registered (for the SK polls) since May. Why do we still have so many registrants who are above 18? We cannot understand. There is something wrong. The regular elections was just held two months ago, no reason why there should be so many registrants,” Brillantes said.
Chaos and tension marred the last day of registration Wednesday. People who lined up in front of local Comelec offices in Metro Manila pushed and shoved in their bid to beat the 5pm deadline. The Comelec has announced that there will be no extension of the 10-day registration period.
Brillantes said that they expected a deluge of young applicants, especially new voters aged 15 to 17 years old, but it appeared that many of those who registered were older than 18.
He said the overwhelming number of registrants is because of the “hakot” method of the potential candidates for the barangay elections. Brillantes said that the commission will screen all registrants to determine if they met the six-month residency requirement.
“Those that cannot meet the requirements will likely be rejected. We will check them sternly using the biometrics system,” he added.
Senato Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday filed a bill seeking to postpone the SK elections to give Congress time to repair the system and make it more effective in addressing the needs of the youth.
In filing Senate Bill 1186 or an “An Act to Postpone the Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on October 28, 2013, Amending for the Purpose Section 1 of Republic Act 9340, and for other Purposes,” Marcos Jr. said the SK has become meaningless. He warned that unless it is reformed, the system will continue to deterioriate.
Marcos, who heads the Senate Committee on Local Government, said SK officials have become so politicised and susceptible to dishonest practices in handling public funds that are entrusted to them.
Other members of the Senate opposed the abolition of SK.
Senator Teofisto Guingona 3rd. said the issues being faced by the SK could be addressed by introducing amendments to the law like raising the age requirement from 15 to 18, limiting the terms of SK officers and establishing a monitoring system for the collection and disbursement of funds.
The SK gets 10% of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of barangays.
Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito said the key in addressing SK issues is the introduction of reforms that would help breed quality leaders from the youth. He said abolishing SK would deprive the youth of a training venue. - Manila Times






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