TRAIN, STRENGTHEN SK INSTEAD OF ABOLISHING IT – CAYETANO

SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano proposed tapping State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to train barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, saying the youth council should be strengthened — not abolished — through better training and capacity-building.

Cayetano made the proposal on September 9, 2026 as the Senate considered amendments to Senate Bill No. 2387, which seeks to fix the term of office of barangay officials and SK members.

He proposed including SUCs and the DAP among the institutions that could train barangay and SK officials, citing DAP’s experience in training local government officials.

The proposal was accepted by bill sponsor Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Cayetano said the training should also be backed by funding in the 2027 national budget so it could begin early in the officials’ term.

“Kung lalagay natin y’ung provision na y’an, which I think is a good idea, siguro gawin na natin na pondohan natin [ang peograma] for 2027. Kasi kung 2028 pa natin po-pondohan, aanhin mo pa y’ung training, [kung] patapos na rin y’ung term nila?” he said.

Cayetano said the SK should be strengthened by training rather than abolished over concerns about corruption. He pointed out that many times, youth leaders learn corruption from elder officials.

He also stressed that training should involve more than lectures, pointing out that SUCs could contribute their expertise in governance while TESDA and DAP could provide skills and training for government officials.

“It’s just a small contribution but I think if we put the word state universities or DAP, it could be more than symbolic,” Cayetano said.

Following Cayetano’s proposal, Escudero introduced an amendment inserting the phrase “state colleges and universitie after the reference to the Commission on Elections and before “other appropriate government agencies.”

The Senate approved Senate Bill No. 2387 on second reading.