AID TO SK OFFICIALS. Agusan del Norte Governor Dale B. Corvera (seated, 2nd from left) signs on Monday (Feb. 17, 2020) the ordinance that would grant hospitalization assistance to officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan in the province. The signing was witnessed by hundreds of SK officials, led by SK Provincial Federation president Keefe Blue R. Leonar (seated, left) and Provincial Administrator Gerry Joey Laurito (seated, 3rd from left). (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – Officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), or the youth council, in the province of Agusan del Norte lauded the approval of an ordinance granting them medical assistance.
In a ceremony on Monday witnessed by hundreds of SK members all over the province, Agusan del Norte Governor Dale B. Corvera signed Ordinance 544-2020 that was authored by Board Member Keefe Blue R. Leonar, the SK provincial federation president.
Leonar said SK officials -- presidents, council members, and the appointed secretaries and treasurers – would benefit from the ordinance.
“The SK officials will be provided (with a) PHP10,000 assistance to pay the excess amount for their hospitalization,” he said, adding that SK officials can avail of the assistance only once a year.
Based on Republic Act 10742 or the SK Reform Act of 2015, only the SK chair sitting as ex-officio member of barangay and municipal councils, may receive an honorarium.
The ordinance, however, provides direct medical aid to other SK officials in barangay and municipal levels, numbering some 1,670 across the province.
Corvera described the ordinance as a landmark legislative measure for the province’s SK officials. He also assured all SK officials and members of the provincial leadership’s continued support for their programs and activities.
“I always believe that the SK is a fertile training ground for future leadership,” he said, as he urged the SK officials and members to focus on development activities that would benefit the youth.
“Your minds should not focus on infrastructure projects and developments. Leave that to your barangay captains, mayors, and the governor. Focus on your own development because that is the purpose of the creation of the SK,” Corvera said. (PNA)
