Distribution: Limited SS-78/CONF.621/6 Bangkok, August 1978

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION

ASIAN REGIONAL YOUTH MEETING Youth Mobilization for Development in Asian Settings

17-22 September 1978, Kathmandu (Nepal)

KABATAANG BARANGAY

A case study, prepared by Dr. Wilfrido V. Villacorta

The working paper was prepared by the Philippines. The opinions expressed therein, the choice of facts presented and their interpreta­tion are solely the author's own responsibility and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unesco.

© Unesco 1978

BKSS/78/OP/544-200

CONTENTS

I. Needs of National Development

II. Needs of Youth Development

III. Objectives of the Movement

IV. Organizational Structure

V. Financing

VI. Projects and Activities

VII. Youth Response

VIII. Overall Evaluation and possibilities of univerbalization

Annex A Kabataang Barangay Organizational Set-up

Annex B KKB

Annex C PKKB National Office

I. Needs of National Development

Any developing society that seeks to institute substantial reform and advancement must sometimes create institutions that will reinforce progressive attitudes and values. The youth has always been recognized as a potent sector for the internalization and dissemination of these values. Idealistic and malleable, the youth has, in fact, been instrumental in hastening social and political transformation.

Aware of this potential for the Filipino youth, President Ferdinand Marcos issued a decree in 1975, organizing the national youth movement. Called the Kabataang Barangay — from the terms, "Kabataan" (youth) and "barangay" (the country's basic political unit, cf pre-colonial origins) — it was originally composed of all residents in the barangay, who were less than eighteen years of age. The KB Assembly comprised those members of the barangay who were at least 15 years of age but less than 18 and who were registered in the official KB list. Later, in 1977, the age require­ment was increased to twenty-one years of age. The KB Council, on the other hand, consists of one chairman and six councilors chosen from among the members of the Assembly, with each given a one-year term (see Annex A). Until June 1977, the KB was under the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development. It now falls under the Office of the President of of the Philippines.

The organization was initially conceived as a vehicle for political expression, the present setup being "inadequate to assign to the youth of each and every barangay a definite role as well as afford them a medium to effectively express their views and opinions on issues of significance."1 Later the KB developed programs that would improve the quality of life in the barangays in the following areas: (a) nutrition, (b) family planning, (c) green revolution, (d) health and community beautification, (e) sports, (f) income generation, and (g) seminars on volunteerism.

As the President's eldest daughter, Imee Marcos, involved herself more actively in the movement and in 1977, officially became its national chairman, KB programs were streamlined to include only five concerns: (a) out-of-school youths, (b) sports, (c) culture, (d) international relations, and (e) education. Since its founding, the KB National Secretariat has conducted live-in seminars in training camps for the purpose of orienting youth leaders on the movement's philosophy, programs, and implementation approaches. The objective of all these activities is to harness and maxi­mize youth's contributions to nation-building.

II. Needs of Youth Development

The late sixties and early seventies witnessed youth activism through­out the world. In the Philippines, the excess energies of young people took varied directions. Desperate about the chaos and corruption of the old system, many students led demonstrations against government indifference, irrelevant education, abusive landlords, and overbearing foreign influences. Others took refuge either in the ecstatic world of drugs or in the solace of cultist movements. In all of these cases, the assumption was that Philippine society was anything but deserving of one's constructive parti-

1. Presidential Decree No. 684, Preamble.

cipation. Social reform was popularly considered as a futile wish; escape from society, if not its destruction, was deemed by many young people to be the only answer.

When the "New Society" was proclaimed in 1972, President Marcos saw the importance of the youth which comprises 20% of the total population, as a partner of older generations in effecting meaningful, social change. Not being satisfied with forming the KB, he encouraged its members to draft their own consitution. Promulgated in 1977, that constitution form­alized the KB's role as "an institution of youth participation in affairs of local and national concern."2 it contained the rights and duties of the members and officers of the organization, and the manner of elections. To further ensure the strength and effectiveness of the KB, the President signed on 12 June, 1977, Presidential Decree No. 1191, which created the National Federation of Kabataang Barangay Councils (Pambansang Katipunan ng Mga Kabataang Barangay), with autonomous attributes of a corporation. All these efforts of Government are aimed not only at keeping the youth busy but more important, at drawing them into productive participation in national life. Having been made aware of their stakes in national develop­ment, they will, hopefully, not fall back into the alienation of the past but will, instead, aspire to be the leaders and planners of the present and the future.

III. Objectives of the Movement

3 The KB has identified the following as its general objectives:

(a) To consolidate the youth and channel their potentialities towards a more meaningful involvement in community as well as national development;

(b) To instill values of social commitment and good citizenship among the youth; and

(c) To create a united youth front, geared towards social develop­ment by serving as a forum of youthful ideas on vital issues affecting the nation.

which: The objectives are being attained through projects and activities

(a) promote sports consciousness among its members;

(b) bring about sanitary and decent environmental conditions with­in the barangay;

(c) help in the food production campaign;

(d) promote socio-cultural activities;

(e) foster closer inter-group relations and communication among the youth;

1. Constitution of the Kabataang Barangay, Article II, Sec. 5. 3. Kabataang Barangay Handbook, 1978, pp. 4-5.

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(f) assist in the prevention, reduction, or elimination of inter-gang conflicts and crime;

(g) assist in the detection and prevention of drug abuse and help in the rehabilitation of drug victims;

(h) hasten community action in cases of disasters and emergency;

(i) stir interest and concern among local residents on current laws and ordinances by keeping them posted on issues and developments affecting the nation; and

(j) safeguard the rights and well-being of the nation as a whole.

IV. Organizational Structure

For effective and systematic coordination and smooth flow of com­munications between Government and the Kabataang Barangay, KB Federations were established in the municipal, city, provincial, regional and national levels (see Annex B).

At the municipal level is the Pambayanang Katipunan ng mga kabataang Barangay (Municipal Federation of KB Councils), composed of all KB Councils of a municipality.

The different cities all over the country has the Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Barangay Panlungsod (City Federation of KB Councils), composed of all city KB Councils.

The KB Provincial Federation or the Panlalawigang Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Barangay, is composed of all municipal KB Federations.

At the regional level is the Pampook na Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Barangay (Regional Federation of KB Councils), which is composed of all city and provincial KB Federations in a given region.

The Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Barangay is composed of the 12 regional KB Federations.

Each federation is composed of a Board of Directors with no less than five but not more than 11 members: a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and other officers deemed necessary by the Board.

The National Secretariat supports the operation of the KB federa­tions and grass-root membership. It consists of the Executive Director, the Corporate Auditor, the Planning and Evaluation Staff, the Financial Management Staff, the Legal Counsel, the Central Management Staff, the Public Relations and Information Staff, the Program Development Group, the Operations Group, the Administrative Group, and thirteen Regional Operations Centers, which include Metropolitan Manila (see Annex C).

V. Financing

The KB receives its funds wholly from the Philippine Government. Formerly deriving support for its operations from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, it has been allocated an annual

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budget by the President. Moreover, different Ministries which have youth programs, notably Education and Culture, Labor, Agriculture, and Youth and Sports Development, share their resources with the KB. Finances remain as a problem for the KB, given the extensive scope of its operations.

4 VT. Projects and Activities

A. Out-of-School Youth Program

For the year 1978, the KB Out-of-School Youth Program has tar­geted some 50,000 youths in both the urban and rural areas to be trained in either industrial (in-plant) or agricultural skills. The strategy of implementation involves linkages among government, socio-civic, and private business sectors, and the Kabataang Barangay, with the latter serving as the main coordinating and im­plementing arm. The projects are undertaken on a polot basis through the selection of specific tryout areas where it would be most feasible. Volunteer Brigades are composed of the beneficia­ries of this project with the intention of instilling in the out-of-school youth the proper orientation and commitment to the KB as a movement and to the objectives that this program endeavors to fulfill. The following are the pilot projects:

1. Batarisan in-Plant Project

This project is primarily a KB, Ministry of Labor (ML), National Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC), and private sector tie-up in providing skills in manufacturing and other related industries to the out-of-school youth. The training aims at giving the out-of-school youth eventual employment or increasing their marketability or re-employ-ability in the labor market.

For 1978, this project aims to provide in-plant training to 25,000 out-of-school youths in selected urban or industrial centers. The early part of 1978 is concentrated in terms of the number of out-of-school beneficiaries, the number of sponsoring industries or companies and also on the consoli­dation of gains and the improvement of strategies in pre­paration for future expansion to the pilot regions by the start of the second half of 1978.

The KB is mainly concerned with the tapping of sponsor-com­panies in the pilot areas through signing of memoranda of agreement, the screening and recruitment of Kabataang B Barangay out-of-school trainees, the placement of these trainees in the different companies, the building-up and nurture of the interest of trainees, and the job placement of training graduates. To meet this responsibility, the KB is mobilizing its machinery from all the different levels, down to the barangay.

4. "KB Program Thrust for 1978" unpublished.

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2. Agricultural Skills Training Project

This project is aimed at the enhancement of economic deve­lopment in the rural areas through provision of agricultu­ral skills training to the rural youth who comprise the ma­jority of those who are out of school. For 1978, a total of 25,000 deserving youths is the target under this project. This project complements the thrust of the government for countryside development as opportunities for economic ad­vancement and training in self-reliance. Food production is the main emphasis under this project and shall cover economic activities such as farming, animal raising, fish­eries, tree planting, etc.

The Kabataang Barangay establishes linkages with specialized government agencies in agriculture and related spheres and also with the private sector, particularly the financing and marketing establishments. As a general strategy, coopera­tives are formed to be managed by trained out-of-school youths who have been organized first into volunteer brigades. Feasibility studies are made on pilot areas, jointly with government agencies or the private sector, on the one hand, and the Kabataang Barangay, on the other.

3. Guiguinto Project

This project aims to operationalize the Regional Manpower Training Center at Guiguinto, Bulacan Province. The center, that has cost the government sizeable amount, has not been operational ever since its inauguration several months be­fore, due to lack of water and electrical facilities. The KB, with the assistance of the proper government agencies, particularly the National Manpower and Youth Council of the Ministry of Labor, endeavors to solve this particular pro­blem and to provide appropriate solutions in order to make this center fully operational for the benefit of the out-of-school youths. This training center may eventually become the first manpower training center to be managed by KB Councils.

4. Income-Generating .Project

This project is a joint Kabataang Barangay-Ministry of Social Services and Development (DSSD) undertaking, which seeks to open economic opportunities for out-of-school youths through income-generating activities. The out-of-school youths are organized in a cooperative style and are made to engage in feasible low-capital business ventures.

B. Sports Development Program

Prior to 1978, the KB sports program was classified merely as a special project, denoting a low-priority status in the KB overall program of activities. But with the recent launching of a national integrated sports and physical fitness program, it has become one of

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the major program areas of the KB with the main goal of initiating major sports consciousness among our young populace. At the same time, the propagation of indigeneous sports is raised as a corollary objective, if only to retain these sports in the mainstream of the Filipino culture.

Several projects have been identified as areas of operation for the sports development program of KB. These are the sports train­ing project, establishment of KB sports centers, sports and physi­cal fitness management seminars, sports clinics, printing and dis­tribution of KB sports manual, KB sports competitions, and distri­bution of sports equipment. Inasmuch as the KB cannot yet afford to initiate all these plans, it has selected two most viable pro­jects to implement: the sports training project and the establish­ment of KB sports centers.

C. Cultural Program

The KB cultural program serves to enhance the Filipino youth's awareness of their national identity by encouraging their participa­tion in various indigeneous cultural forms as a means of expressing and developing their inherent talents and, eventually, become instru­ments for the propagation of Filipino culture.

Several major projects support the objectives of the cultural program, namely: (1) Community Theatre (Dulaang KB); (2) Choral Singing (Himig ng Kabataan); and (3) Superkulayeros (child-artists), which are sustained by minor projects like Art Exhibits, Playwriting Contents (Panitikang KB), Cultural Festivals and Theatre Workshops.

At present, the major cultural projects are concentrated in Metro Manila. These are being implemented as springboards for sub­sequent KB mass-based projects. Thus, the Cultural Program for 1978 is designed along a development-oriented scheme, due to the dearth of competent personnel and the difficulty of identifying viable cul­tural programs fit for a mass-based oriented organization.

D. International Relations Program

In order to promote international understanding, the KB intends to expand its role in forging harmonious relations with other coun­tries through opening youth tie-ups with non-Asian countries where the Philippines has already established diplomatic relations, as well as strengthening its bonds with Asian neighbors, particularly the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Last year, the KB initiated the first Asean Youth Conference, and hosted the ASEAN Folk Arts Festival in Manila.

KBs commitment to youth international relations gained further ground when a group of KB members visited their Asian neighbors — Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, and as an offshoot, these ASEAN countries have been sending their counterpart delegations as a part of an exchange program among the member nations.

Several federation presidents, accompanied by Miss Imee Marcos, went to People's Republic of China to observe the Chinese concept of youth development programs. The KB also sent delegations to youth conferences abroad.

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E. KB Support Programs

i. Leadership Training

This program is aimed towards the strengthening of the KB organizational machinery by establishing the bonds or the roots necessary for the proper orientation and direction of the Kabataang Barangay, its officers and employees, and by initiating a training program to ensure a harmonious work­ing relationship between the KB and its Secretariat. The program is that the starting point or the launching mechan­ism that shall drive the KB towards its envisioned role as effective partners in national development.

The projects under this program are the following:

(1) Trainers training

This project stems from the need to strengthen the pool of qualified and effective full-time trainers upon whom shall depend on a large degree the success, or failure of the KB Leadership training program.

(2) Staff Development Project

This project is one-week seminar workshop to be attend­ed by the key officers of the different function groups, Field Operations and the Administrative Services Group. This project is intended to upgrade the theoretical, managerial and technical skills of the participants and also delineate and define their functions, duties and responsibilities and their internal working relationships in order to make the KB National Secretariat a highly efficient organization in servicing and supporting the Kabataang Barangay.

(3) Advanced Training

This project is concerned with the training of all former and new field assistants. It puts emphasis on strengthening the theoretical and ideological foundation and the commitment of the participants on all that the KB as a movement stands for. It provides them with a working knowledge on the KB Secretariat?its functions and relationship with the Kabataang Barangay and their duties and responsibilities relative to these.

(4) Basic Leadership Training

This project deals with the training of KB officials and members to form the hard core among the Kabataang Barangays. The participants consisting of two to five representatives from each province and city are screen­ed or selected in accordance with the guidelines or criteria following the KB Constitution that will be set by the KB National Secretariat. The training is stagger-

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ed into batches of 50 participants per batch who undergo a seven-day intensive training.

(5) Batarisan/Sports KB Orientation Training

This is a two-day, two-hours-per-day orientation training for all successful applicants or trainees of the Batarisan in-plant training project. The training explains the com­mitment of the KB to national progress as evidenced by its manpower development projects under the out-of-school youth program. A similar training is also given to KB physical fitness and sports trainees.

ii. Educational Programs

The educational program aims to support the other development oriented programs of the Kabataang Barangay by initiating and sustaining school related activities. The school, besides being an institution of learning where the youth attain formal educa­tion, is the place where the youth congregate.

(1) Kabataang Barangay School Chapters

In line with the KB pilot-area scheme of program of imple­mentation for 1978, KB school chapters in several regions have to be sustained or established. These school chapters provide the necessary KB membership to support the various KB projects slated in those regions. Therefore, school chap­ters shall be established in the following regions: Region III (Angeles City), Region VII (Cebu City), Region VI (Iloilo City), Region VIII (Tacloban City) for this purpose.

The existence of KB school chapters involves mainly the monitoring of all existing or organized KB chapters to see to it that the guidelines governing their projects and act­ivities are followed with the end result of projecting a good image of the Kabataang Barangay in the schools.

(2) Integrated Info-Education Project

The target audience/clientele of the program are youths from 4-5 years old. The project aims to produce and disseminate info-educational materials that help initiate attitudinal reorientation among the youths.

There are four major sub-projects included in this program namely, the Textbook Reform Project, Animation/TV Production Project, Radio Program Production Project and the PrintMedda Production Project. Through the cooperation of the Ministry of Education's Textbook Reform Division, textbooks to be utilized by grade-school and secondary school children are reoriented to include the KB concept. Workbooks for children in the elementary grades will also be produced.

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It is planned that the animation/TV Production and Radio Program Production Project will work towards the production and dissemination of Children's Radio/TV Educational Programs. Folk myths and tales as well as heroic exploits of patroits will be utilized to attain the info-educational and entertainment objectives.

Educare Project

The Educational and Reform Program (EDUCARE) has been launched to develop the full potential of Filipino youth to help them achieve maximum fulfillment as in­dividuals and as citizens of our country by giving them a direct hand in KB productive efforts. In the EDUCARE program, the school, a venue for education, is transformed into a "production center" where the youth from the primary to tertiary levels learn various skills, earn as they learn while providing them the complementary atmosphere to develop high moral stan­dards, be imbibed with values of self-reliance, inte­grity, industry, social responsibility, discipline, courage, patience, and determination to enable them to cope successfully with the varied circumstances and challenges of life in the N3W Society.

The EDUCARE program based on its concept of the "School as a Production Center", will be beneficial to all KB members in-school, out-of-school and working youths with its projects for 1978. The KB, through the operations group, will provide the organized man­power both for production and coordination. Through the KB school chapters, it will organize the KB members involved in the projects. These projects support the following objectives of the EDUCARE program:

a. Integrate in existing school curricula skills train­ing geared towards more meaningful and productive experiences for the youth.

b. Inculcate among the youth the dignity of manual work labor through production work.

c. Implement skills training programs which shall mini­mize utilization of existing human and material re­sources for the youth.

d. Create youth production guilds to handle management and production of such items to be produced.

e. Implement a skills development program using the concept of the schools as a production center which shall turn out highly marketable products.

These objectives will be realized with the cooperation and coordination with other government agencies specifi­cally the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCE), National Cottage industries Adminis-

tration (NACIDA), Cottage Industries Development Enter­prises (CIDE), and the Ministry of Education and Cul­ture (MEC). The MEC, KB, NACIDA and CIDE will coordi­nate in the procurement, manufacture, production and market distribution of items to be purchased by the MLGCD, KB and the MEC. The MEC and KB will oversee the collective production and manufacture of items through the KB-YCAP charters. The MEC, PCHE and KB will coordinate in the production of handicraft pro­ducts for foreign consumption. The NACIDA, CIDE and PCHI will handle the training and marketing for local and foreign markets respectively. The MEC and KB will \ also be responsible for the procurement of raw materials, identify pilot centers, and provide manpower for the various projects through the KB operation groups and the KB school chapters.

VII. Youth Response

There are at present 8.6 million members of the KB Assembly (15-21 years of age), out of whom 3.9 million are registered. 42,000 KBs have so far been formed throughout the country.

Admittedly, public response has still to be qualitatively improved. For one thing, the KB was organized during the martial law period. It would take a little more time for the movement to convince the populace, through its achievements, that it is an organization that aspires to bring about socio-economic improvement for the youth, rather than a mere instru­ment for institutionalizing martial law. The present shift to parliamenta­ry government will hopefully erase the doubts of many. There are at present six KB presidents who are members of the ad interim Parliament.

Moreover, there is a need for follow-up of KB programs, specially the training seminars that were taken by its first batches of leaders. Financial constraints and a certain degree of resistance from the older members of the barangays continue to hinder the full implementation of KB plans in the field.

VIII. Overall Evaluation and Possibilities of Universalization

The KB has made a big leap since Ms. Marcos actively led the move­ment. Her influence and popularity have expedited the implementation of KB programs. As was mentioned, however, there is much to be desired in terms of integration, coordination, and follow-through of its activities. The vast operations of the organization necessitate a large staff in the Secretariat as well as in the field. Both operational and project costs go beyond what has been initially appropriated for KB.

There are observers who feel that the organization has probably over-expanded itself. In response to the problems being confronted by the movement, the KB National Secretariat is in the process of formulating a total, long-range plan, that will carefully re-examine program and opera­tional costs, as well as the fundamental objectives of the organization — both organizational and ideological.

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As far as the prospects for possible adoption of the KB model are concerned, the movement has attracted the attention of other Governments, For example, the Home Minister of India has indicated his Government's interest in learning from the KB experience. At the same time, KB leaders have made special efforts to learn as well from the experiences of other youth movements, through its International Relations program- It is hoped that through further exchanges, the youth movements in Asia could arrive at some kind of a model that will best harness youth's energies for na­tional development.

KABATAANG BARANGAY ORGANIZATIONAL SET-UP KATIPUNAN NG MGA KABATAANG BARANGAY (KKB)

- ALL LEVELS -

KABATAANG BARANGAY COUNCIL (Chairman & 6 Councilmen)

KABATAANG BARANGAY ASSEMBLY (KB members 15 years to less

than 18 years of age)

KABATAANG BARANGAY (All members of the barangay

below 18 years of age)

K K B PRESIDENT (National)

K K B PRESIDENTS (Regional)

KKB PRESIDENTS (Provincial)

K K B PRESIDENTS (Municipal)

K K B PRESIDENTS (City)

ALL KABATAANG B A R A N G A Y CHAIRMEN

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