Partido Reporma standard-bearer Panfilo Lacson encouraged the youth to lead active political lives to help steer the nation toward a better direction, and become effective future leaders.
“Get involved please, young people. Get yourselves involved in the national affairs of our country because you are the ones who will inherit it. That’s why we all have something at stake here. Do not say that you don’t care about it,” he said.
If elected president, Lacson said assured that youth leaders who are elected to the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) would have active roles in shaping their communities with ample support from their respective local government units (LGUs).
Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III will not support recommendations to abolish SK organizations, Lacson further said.
The presidential candidate acknowledged that youth councils are there to help develop future public servants.
“The SK is a good training ground for the future leaders of our country),” said Lacson, who recognized the positive contributions of the youth in different sectors of our society.
During his visit to Maddela, Quirino last week, there were youth leaders who shared their problems over lack of support from some of their LGUs for their community-based projects. Lacson heard the same from the SK members of Cabanatuan City.
The presidential candidate informed them that under the law, youth councils are actually entitled to receive at least 10 percent of the general funds of their barangays, derived from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the LGUs.
Lacson also discussed the possibility of revisiting the Local Government Code to address concerns over the lack of quorum of some youth councils that were rendered dormant and denied funding because they were missing the active participation of some duly-elected members or leaders.
Lacson has been actively inspiring the youth to stay engaged in the electoral process, especially the 2022 presidential polls. He also announced recently that he is in favor of pushing through with the scheduled barangay and SK elections this year.
