KABATAAN Partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago on Monday urged Congress to pass measures that will empower the Sangguniang Kabataan and give better support to youth and student organizations.

Elago asked her colleagues to tackle measures seeking to probe reported abuses and to review the implementation of the National Service Training Program law.

The SK compensation bill principally authored by the Kabataan Party-list seeks to authorize the provision of honorarium of at least 50 percent of Chairperson’s compensation and the appropriate civil service eligibility for all SK officials, including the Secretary and the Treasurer.

“Saksi tayo sa mga tagumpay at pagsisikap ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan sa buong bansa lalo na sa pagtulong sa kapwa kabataan at komunidad sa gitna ng pandemya. This measure, supporting the SK officials, is not only necessary, but long overdue. We thank our fellow young public servants for their work and commitment to push for this bill and help advance the youth and people’s agenda in their councils and in Congress,” Elago said.

The lawmaker explained that the SK compensation bill that has been approved at the committee level will be a big step towards building the capacity of SKs to be truly independent in the performance of their duties.

“If we are intent on instilling nationalism and patriotism among the youth, then a mandatory ROTC is not the way to go—certainly not when the ROTC remains a hotbed of abuse and corruption to this day,” Elago said.