AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN, INSTITUTIONALIZING ADDITIONAL REFORMS TO REVITALIZE YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND BY PROVIDING HONORARIUM, OTHER BENEFITS, AND PRIVILEGES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10742, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN REFORM ACT OF 2015"

Eighteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-sixth day of July, two thousand twenty one.

[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11768, May 06, 2022 ]

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN, INSTITUTIONALIZING ADDITIONAL REFORMS TO REVITALIZE YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND BY PROVIDING HONORARIUM, OTHER BENEFITS, AND PRIVILEGES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN SECTIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10742, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN REFORM ACT OF 2015"

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 8 of Republic Act No. 10742, otherwise known as the "Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015", is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 2. Section 10 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 3. Section 15 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 4. Section 16 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 5. Section 19 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 6. Section 20 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 7. Section 21 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 8. Section 22 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 9. Insert a new Section 23 of Republic Act No. 10742 to read as follows, and renumber the succeeding sections accordingly:

Section 10. SEC. 25 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 11. Section 26 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 12. Section 28 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 13. Funding and Appropriations. - The amounts necessary to carry out the implementation of this Act shall be charged against the Sangguniang Kabataan funds or as may be authorized by the local government units pursuant to Section 4 of this Act.

Section 14. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DILG, the DBM, the Commission on Elections, the National Youth Commission, and other concerned government agencies shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations within sixty (60) days upon the effectivity of this Act.

Section 15. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders or rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

This Act which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2124 and House Bill No. 10698 was passed by the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives on February 2, 2022.

Approved: MAY 06 2022

(SGD.) RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
President of the Philippines

"Section 8. Powers and Functions of the Sangguniang Kabataam. - The Sangguniang Kabataan shall:

"Section 10. Qualifications. - An elected or appointed official of the Sangguniang Kabataan must be a citizen of the Philippines, a qualified voter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan, a resident of the barangay for not less than one (1) year immediately preceding the day of the elections, at least eighteen (18) years but not more than twenty-four (24) years of age on the day of the elections, able to read and write Filipino, English, or the local dialect, must not be related within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any incumbent elected regional, provincial, city, municipal, or barangay official, in the locality where the appointive or elective official seeks to be elected, and must not have been convicted by final judgment of any crime involving moral turpitude: Provided, That the Sangguniang Kabataan treasurer and secretary must be at least eighteen (18) years but not more than thirty (30) years of age on the day of the appointment: Provided, further, That the Sangguninang Kabataan chairperson shall appoint a treasurer with an educational or career background relating to business administration, accountancy, finance, economics, or bookkeeping: Provided, further, That only if no person meets the requirements can the Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson consider other suitable nominees: Provided, furthermore, That the appointed Sangguniang Kabataan treasurers shall undergo a mandatory bookkeeping training from, and be duly certified by, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) before assumption to office: Provided, finally, That the appointed Sangguniang Kabataan treasurers shall be prioritized in the allocation of the appropriate TESDA scholarships."

"Section 15. Sangguniang Kabataan Treasurer. - The Sangguniang Kabataan treasurer, who shall be bonded officer, shall:

"x x x."

"Section 16. Privileges of Sangguniang Kabataan Officials. - (a) All Sangguniang Kabataan officials in good standing, whether elected or appointed, shall during their incumbency:

"Section 19. Succession and Filling up of Vacancies. - (a) In case a Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson refuses to assume office, fails to qualify, voluntarily resigns, dies, is permanently incapacitated, is removed from office, the Sangguniang Kabataan member who obtained the highest number of votes in the election immediately preceding shall assume the office of the chairperson, for the unexpired portion of his or her term. In case said member refuses to assume the position or fails to qualify, the Sangguniang Kabataan member obtaining the next highest number of votes shall assume the position of the chairperson for the unexpired portion of their term: Provided, That, if the reason for the vacancy does not fall under the conditions stated above, the mayor of the concerned barangay shall appoint an officer-in-charge (OIC) from a list of at least three (3) nominees as submitted by the Sangguniang Kabataan members: Provided, further, That the appointed OIC must meet the qualifications set under Section 10 of this Act.

"x x x."

"Section 20. Sangguniang Kabataan Funds. - The Sangguniang Kabataan funds shall be governed by the following provisions:

"Section 21. Pederasyon ng Sangguniang Kabataan. -

"Section 22. Membership in the Sanggunian and Local Special Bodies. - The duly elected president of the Pederasyon ng Sangguniang Kabataan, at all levels, shall serve as ex officio member of the Sangguniang Bayan, Sangguniang Panlungsod and Sangguniang Panlalawigan, respectively, and shall:

"(c) convene the LYDC every three (3) months to conduct consultations with youth organizations."

"Section 23. Membership in the National Youth Commission. - The presidents of the Panlalawigang Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan and the presidents of the Panlungsod na Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan of highly urbanized cities and independent component cities shall elect, among themselves, a representative who shall sit as an ex officio member of the National Youth Commission, consistent with Section 5 of Republic Act No. 8044, otherwise known as the "Youth in Nation-Building Act."

"SEC. 26. Creation. - There shall be in every province, city, and municipality a Youth Development Office which shall be headed by a youth development officer with the rank of at least division chief. Such may be put under the Office of the Local Chief Executive, the Office of the Planning and Development, the Office of the Social Welfare, or in any other office deemed appropriate by the local government unit. If the funds of the locl government units are sufficient, it can be a separate department with division and units for policy and planning, administration and finance, and programs and operations. In the event when the local govenrment unit has exceeded the prescribed personal services limitations, the local chief executive may designate exiting personnel deemed fit to serve this purpose: Provided, That a local youth development officer shall be appointed within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act."

"SEC. 27. Funding. - The local govenrment unit may appropriate nit less than one percent (1%) of its annual budget for the Local Development Office, which shall be used for the implementation of the LYDP, convening the meetings of the concerned Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan and LYDC, as well as its operations and effective functioning."

"SEC. 29. Components of the Mandatory Training Programs. - The Commission and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with the assistance of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), the Local Government Academy (LGA), the University of the Philippines-National Colleges of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), and in consultation with youth stakeholders shall jointly design and implement the mandatory and continuing training programs. The mandatory training programs must include the following components: (a) (1) The Philippine cultural history, political systems, ethics and ideologies; (2) The Filipino as a nation builder; (3) The Filipino youth and its role in nation-building; and (b) capacity building on leadership, program and project development and sustainability, financial management, and accountability and transparency. The Commission and the DILG may also coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and TESDA, for the offering of relevant courses that emphasize the role of education and skills development in nation-building and would further enhance the knowledge, network, and capacity of Sangguniang Kabataan officials and LYDC members to craft and implement relevant youth development plans."