By Nova Mae Francas
THE NEW batch of junior city officials took their oath of office with an extended term from one week to one year, Davao City Youth Development Office (DCYDO) said Thursday.
DCYDO acting head Emmanuel Crismas said that with the extension, the junior city officials are expected to lobby for policies on the development of the youth.
“It would be a waste of opportunity because we selected them through a tedious process, so this is to maximize the opportunity they can receive,” Crismas said during the iSpeak Media Forum on Thursday.
The initial proposed policy is to strengthen the participation and involvement of the Sanguniang Kabataan members during the activities of every barangay.
“They observed that every time there are activities intended for the youth, only a handful of youth would participate. Getting the interest of the SK members is still a challenge,” he stressed.
“Hopefully, there will be a system that will really convince the youth to be involved,” he added.
Crismas said the specific policies will be developed by the junior city officials and passed to the SK Federation for the presentation to the city council.
He added that the one-year term will be enough for them and not to put to waste the capacity-building training they are being subjected to.
For this year’s batch, there are a total of 74 junior city officials assigned to the offices of the mayor, vice mayors, 24 councilors, and the city’s department heads.
They are mandated to report once a month: every first Tuesday of the month for junior city councilors, mayor and vice mayor, and every first Monday of the month for the junior department heads.
“Towards the end of their term, we will be asking feedback from their assigned offices as to how they performed,” he said.
Inputs from the junior officials will also be considered in the review of the Davao City Youth Development Plan, which emphasizes resiliency as a significant aspect.
“We wanted our youth to be first responders in the barangays, and to give emphasis that they take part not just in the activities but also in policy lobbying,” he said.
Photo courtesy of DCYDO
