SP approves gems for SK Ordinance of Koronadal
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) of the City of Koronadal has finally approved the Ordinance Institutionalizing the Conduct of the Governance Exemplars for Meaningful Service for Sangguniang Kabataan (GEMS for SK): Search for the Most Outstanding Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in the City of Koronadal authored by Councilor Clarisse Mae T. Sorongon-Cuaresma, the City Federation SK President.
According to the ordinance, a performance audit and the granting of rewards and recognition for the accomplishments of the SK shall be established in order to support and acknowledge their contribution among the youth in the City of Koronadal, as well as to encourage and improve their performance in the implementation of their programs, projects, and activities.
The city government of Koronadal shall allocate an initial amount of two hundred thousand pesos (P200,00.00) to effectively implement the ordinance and likewise cover the expenses for the conduct of the awarding ceremony and the MET Orientation and Assessment. With the approval of the ordinance, the MET shall convene and promulgate within 60 days the Implementing Rules and Regulations, after which the MET shall design the criteria.
Councilor Cuaresma expressed her gratitude towards her fellow SP for the speedy approval of the ordinance, which she believes will greatly benefit the SK in the city’s 27 barangays. The SK’s efforts will be recognized as a result of this.
THE CREATION OF THE ORDINANCE
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region XII first introduced and initiated the Search for the Most Outstanding SK, which aims to recognize SKs who have performed their utmost duty and responsibility as young leaders in the region.
On March 17, 2022, the DILG XII issued a Memorandum Circular No. 2021-12 stating the guidelines of the 2022 Implementation of Governance Exemplars for Meaningful Service for Sangguniang Kabataan.
In response to the DILG Memorandum Circular, on July 17, 2022, Councilor Cuaresma enacted an ordinance that would institutionalize the Gems for SK, purposely to evaluate and highlight the performance of the SKs in the 27 barangays of the city. According to Cuaresma, giving these young leaders recognition and awards will keep them motivated and committed to improving their programs, projects, and activities and will likewise ensure wide and multi-sectoral youth participation in local governance in their respective jurisdictions.
THE SCOPE, FUNCTIONALITY INDICATORS & THE MONITORING TEAM COMPOSITION
The ordinance and its performance audit are intended to cover all 27 barangay SKs in the city and will be evaluated by the Monitoring and Evaluation Team (MET) based on their Functionality Indicators. These indicators include organizational effectiveness, development planning, financial administration, leadership and innovativeness.
The SK must then submit the documentary requirements to the MET, who will assess their effectiveness, efficiency, and innovativeness in carrying out their tasks and responsibilities.
The MET is composed of the designated Local Youth Development Officer as the Chairperson and its members are composed of the following: the City Local Government Operations Officer (CLGOO), Civil Society Organization Representative, preferably from the Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC), or student leader from a tertiary or vocational school within the LGU, Representatives from the Office of the City Budget, Office of the City Accountant, and Office of the Commission on Audit.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES, CRITERIA AND AWARDEES
The implementation of the GEMS for SK Award for every current calendar year will be as follows: The 1st Monday of February will be the Orientation of GEMS for SK Awards Guidelines to be conducted by the Focal Person from City DILG and Youth Development Council (YDC). On the 3rd Monday of April to the 2nd Friday of June, an assessment, spearheaded by the MET, will be conducted for 27 barangays. Meanwhile, the 3rd Friday of June will be the deadline for the submission and uploading of the accomplished SK Monitoring Forms 3 and 4 which will be assessed by the City DILG/YDC. For the month of July, deliberation and verification of the pertinent documents will be conducted by the MET, and finally, the GEMS for SK Awarding Ceremony will be held on the last day of the staging of the Linggo ng Kabataan.
Meanwhile, the scores garnered by the SK for each of the areas shall be interpreted based on the result of the performance audit. The SK with an overall score of more than 75.00 is considered as highly performing SK; 50.01-75.00 is moderately performing SK; 25.00-50.00 is limitedly performing SK; and having a score of less than 25.00 is considered an underperforming SK.
The top three (3) performing SKs who achieve Exemplary Performance based on the results garnered and evaluated by the MET will be recognized and awarded.