SP okays SK educational financial aid ordinance
BACOLOD CITY -- The Sangguniang Panglungsod has approved an ordinance granting educational financial assistance to Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons and kagawads (councilors) enrolled in tertiary level.
Councilor Dindo Ramos, principal author of the ordinance, said it would be a great help to all qualified and deserving SK officials in the city. He said the youthful leaders, at their tender age, have myriad responsibilities of providing the youths in their respective barangays with projects aimed at developing and molding them to be better citizens in the community.
The work as SK is additional burden for the youth, exerting extra efforts even beyond their school and office hours that despite of their innate talents and intelligence, cannot possibly maintain the scholastic records required for scholars in their schools and thus, their parents are compelled to carry the financial burden of sending them to college education in exchange for public service.
"The honoraria that these SK chairpersons receive from their barangays are not even enough to augment the scarce resources of their SK funds intended for their programs and projects, not to mention numerous solicitations they receive from their constituents, being barangay officials themselves," the ordinance stressed.
Ramos said the city shall appropriate an annual budget for the program in the sum of P4,362,000.00 to be distributed among the qualified SK chairpersons and SK Kagawads in the city at P15,000.00 each per semester and P3,000.00 each per semester, respectively.
The SK officials shall be enrolled in a tertiary education and at have least 18 units in a semester. He must have no failing grades in all his academic subjects and his parents must have a combined annual income of not more P240,000.00.
SK federation office will be the one to receive and evaluate his documents like the enrollment papers evidencing his enrollment for the current year; for second year students he should submit his transcript of records in the previous year showing that he has no failing grades in all his academic subjects; and the Income Tax Return (ITR) of both parents showing that the combined annual income does not exceed to P240,000.00.
Once completed and passed, the SK federation will recommend to the City Mayor for the release of the Educational Financial Assistance.
The source of funds shall either come from the Annual Budget or from the PAGCOR Funds of the city which shall be scheduled for the release immediately upon the enrollment of the qualified beneficiaries.
Not one among the SK officials interviewed by The News Today questioned the ordinance rather they were all happy because at least the city legislators also look at them as one sector with great role in nation building, and bright future for themselves and their family as well despite of the plan to abolish them.
Among the co-authors of the ordinance are Councilors Kevin Daniel Ramos, Homer Bais, Greg Gasataya, Al Victor Espino, Alex Paglumotan, Wilson Gamboa Jr. and Celia Matea Flor.