ORO YOUTH CODE of 2016 Brief

With the passage of RA 10742, also known as the SK Reform Law, LGUs are encouraged to improve and broaden their youth empowerment initiatives through the creation of the Local Youth Development Council and the Office for Youth Affairs and mandatory training for its officers.

As a proactive move to maximize this opportunity and with our desire to make Cagayan de Oro a leading city for youth empowerment innovation, the core group of the OYDC (created by E.O. 72-2014) proposes this local legislation designed to enhance and maximize youth participation in local governance.

Here are its basic features:

1.     Creation of the Oro Youth Development Office. This office basically serves as the coordinating and monitoring office for local youth concerns as articulated in the local youth development plan and sits as the secretariat for the Oro Youth Development Council.

2.     Institutionalization of the OYDC. The OYDC would now be a formal body within the government structure. It is composed or 21 members as provided for in the SK Reform Law. The law further provides that the SK are only allotted two seats in the council. The 19 others are allotted for youth organizations and youth serving organizations (youth sectors). The ordinance seeks to implement a sectoral-based representation in the OYDC. Here are the allocations:

a.      Three (3) from the In School youth sector

b.     Three (3) from the out of school youth sector

c.      Three (3) from the faith-based youth sector

d.     Three (4) from the special advocacy based youth sector

e.      Three (3) from community – based youth

f.       Three (3) from cultural identity- based youth

g.      Two (2) from the SK

3.     Creation of the Sectoral Chairmanship – The SK Law Mandates that the SK President would chair the OYDC. By virtue of the principle of local autonomy, the ordinance wishes to create a co-chairmanship. The Sectoral Chairperson (SC) shall be elected from the 19 youth representatives in the OYDC who shall co-chair with the SK President. The (SC) can call a meeting but with the concurrence of the SK President. The SK President shall generally preside over the meetings. The SC will have a term of one year and such election will be held during the yearly Oro Youth Leaders Convergence.

4.     Institutionalization of the Oro Youth Leaders Convergence. – the ordinance mandates the yearly convergence of all youth organization in the city. This is the venue where the OYDC officers can report their accomplishments and draw out recommendations and partnerships from various youth stakeholders.

5.     Appointment of SK alternative representatives in the various city committees and bodies. – The ordinance allows youth representation in the various city committees coming from the SK and Sectoral representatives.  

6.    Creation of the various youth sectors:

a)     Out-of-School-Youth shall refers to all youth of school age, whether organized or not, who are unable to avail of the formal school system or who have dropped out from formal elementary, secondary, tertiary and vocational education.

b)    In-School Youth shall refer to all youth of school age, whether organized or not, presently enrolled with any educational, vocational institution, which include but not limited to the following school organizations (academic or non-academic), student government, fraternities and sororities;

c)     Special Advocacy-Based Youth shall refer to any youth organization whose primary purpose is to serve youth with special needs namely, youth with disabilities, youth in situations of armed conflict, victims of natural disaster and calamities, youth offenders, delinquent youth, LGBT youth, drug depended youth, street youth, abused/exploited youth and abandoned/neglected youth;

d)    Faith-based Youth shall refer to all youth organizations organized under the rules and regulations of a religious institution and recognize by such. Its members are also exclusive members of the said church/sect/religious denomination. 

e)     The Cultural Identity-based youth shall refers to youth organizations whose primary purpose is to advance the cultural identity of the Moro and Indigenous peoples.

f)      Community Youth Organizations shall refers to organizations whose majority of membership are youth and might be based in educational institution but whose program are not solely for educational advancement or may be community based whose members are not all out-of-school youth.