According to our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the youth is our country’s hope and future. True. The youth has proven time and time again that they are capable of leading. Leading a progressive, open-minded and inclusive community and country has always been the goal for many youth-leaders today. But when elected leaders of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), a governing office given to youth-leaders to serve their fellow youth, abuse and neglect the very oath they have taken, that is when youth leaders begin to mirror the very traditional politicians they once criticized.
Numerous cases of mishandling public funds and investing ion projects that do not serve the youth in their barangay, but rather benefit only them, have been recorded. With issues of SK Councils choosing to have an outing, swimming or get away trip after being elected surfacing on social media.
There is nothing wrong with having fun. But when you are a public servant, and you choose to prioritize yourself and the benefits you can get from your position, you become a hypocrite—slowly molded into another trapo because taking an oath and neglecting it the next day is nothing but hypocritical.
At the same time, choosing to buy material things and have fun instead of investing your time and effort on developing policies and projects that will benefit the youth in your area does not make you a good, responsible politician–it only exposes your true colors. At the end of the day, the projects you make as an SK Council member will greatly help, or neglect the youth in your barangay–it’s just a matter of whether you’re responsible enough to know that it is your responsibility to help them, or you choose to have fun and forget them.
Furthermore, running for SK solely because of popularity or peer pressure does not contribute to meaningful leadership. Instead, it adds burden to the system. In doing so, you overshadow genuine leaders who are capable of serving the youth effectively. You're doing nothing but to strip them out of the exposure they need to win and help during and even after the elections, during their term.
Yes, you are young—still exploring and enjoying life. But won’t that also imply that you should just have fun instead, and leave public service to the people that can actually lead? Just because you’re good at giving orders, does not mean you’re going to be a good leader. And just because someone said that you should run, doesn’t mean that you actually should.
At the end of the day, it really is a matter of self control. SK Councils have contributed a lot when it comes to forging progressive policies and projects for the youth. It is evident that the Sangguniang Kabataan is active and functional in the country and that it should not be abolished. But this does not hide the fact that there are problems that must be fixed.
If you know that you’re not going to help, do not run for office. Rather, vote for the right candidate, advocate and voice out for the right policies and be the critic that will help leaders improve the way they lead your barangay. You must empower—not aim to hold the power.
Written by King Razon, Insight PH
King Razon, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
