March 29, 2024

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The municipal government recognized five Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councils for their outstanding performance in governance, which helped raise the bar of excellence among the youth sector.

The recognition is pursuant to Ordinance 322, s. 2020 that institutionalized the “Gawad sa Huwarang Pamamahalang Kabataan Award”, which is geared on promoting and practicing the principles of good youth governance in the barangay.

The SK Council of Samoki under the leadership of Anton Zaren Nasungan was declared the champion and received P30,000 and a plaque of recognition from the municipal government.

Bontoc Ili SK Council led by Michael Angelo Kiat-ong was the second placer and received P20,000 and a plaque of recognition.

The Bayyo SK Council led by Melody Gaston, was the third placer and received P10,000 and a plaque of recognition.

The municipal government also gave plaques of recognition to Mainit and Dalican SK councils, which landed in fourth the fifth places, respectively. The SK chair of Mainit is Evayan Chaloyen while the SK chair of Dalican is Sherwin Chamkas.

The criteria in the selection of winners include leadership, management, creativity and innovativeness, integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethics and values.

The committee that screened and validated the entries is composed of representatives from the Municipal Local Government Operations Officer of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator, Municipal Budget Officer, Municipal Accountant, Municipal Health Officer, Municipal Local Youth Development Officer, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer, Sangguniang Bayan chair of the committee on youth affairs, and the Administrative Officer V of the Office of the Municipal Mayor.

Mayor Franklin Odsey lauded the awardees for coming up with programs and projects that helped their respective barangays.

“You have given your time and effort to serve the public, our kakailyan without expecting anything in return. I urge you to stay true to your commitment and to keep in your hearts and mind the spirit of volunteerism regardless if you are compensated or not, as long as it is good for the youth development and the community as a whole,”  he said.

He expressed hopes that the recognition will motivate other SK councils to emulate the initiatives of the winners.

The Gawad sa Huwarang Pamamahalang Kabataan Award aims to recognize SK councils that have demonstrated exemplary performance of their duties and functions that greatly contributed to the achievement of sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development in their respective communities. It is a continuing commitment of the SK to continuously improve their performance.

It also serves as a monitoring and evaluation mechanism on policy compliance of the SK. – Alpine L. Killa