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Authored by Councilor ROVIN ANDREW M. FELICIANO

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WHEREAS, it is a worldwide accepted fact that youth is that phase of life wherein the environment and experiences of a person serves as the foundation for his future sense of responsibility, social awareness, moral convictions and general character;

WHEREAS, the State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being, it shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs;

WHEREAS, in true recognition of the vital role of the youth in nation-building, all local governments should establish their own permanent policies and programs on youth welfare development as envisioned in the provisions of Republic Act No. 8044 better known as the "Youth in National Building Act";

WHEREAS, the recent postponement of the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which was provided for by the Local Government Code and other pertinent laws has created a functional void in every local government unit, wherein every Sanggunian in the country are left to their own devices to fulfill, until such time as Congress mandates the appropriate solution;

NOW THEREFORE, be it ORDAINED as it is hereby ORDAINED by the City Council of Valenzuela in session duly assembled, that:

ARTICLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. - For purposes of brevity, this ordinance shall be known as the "YOUTH WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE OF VALENZUELA".

SECTION 2. SCOPE. - Jurisdiction and specific sector concerned.

	a)	This ordinance will be effective within the jurisdictional boundaries of the city of Valenzuela.
	b)	This ordinance shall apply to the youth age bracket as defined in Republic Act No. 8004 which means all citizens actually residing within the city of Valenzuela who are fifteen (15) to thirty (30) years of age.

SECTION 3. OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES. - As a general rule, all articles and sections of this ordinance shall be guided by and interpreted in accordance with the following:

	a)	The City recognizes the youth sector as an integral part of its local society and thus will strictly implement permanent policies that will:
		a.	Protect them from harm, abuse and exploitation;
		b.	Provide mechanisms for accessible and affordable formal and informal education;
		c.	Implement programs that will provide adequate knowledge of their rights, privileges and alternative choices with regards to government policies and programs;
		d.	Provide accessible programs and facilities for their health, physical improvement and sports development.
	b)	The city recognizes the youth sector as the leaders of tomorrow and thus shall always seek to develop their leadership potential through the implementation of programs and projects, as well as involving them in specific policy formulations;
	c)	Establish the Valenzuela Youth Development Council;
	d)	Formulate the Youth Welfare and Development Agenda of the City;
	e)	Formulate and implement such other programs of action as envisioned by the United Nations Declaration of Intent on Youth Problems and Potentials and the Medium Term Youth Development Plan (MTYDP 2005 - 2010) of the National Youth Commission.
	f)	Work closely with the City Youth Development Office in the implementation and achievement of its goals.

ARTICLE II
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM

SECTION 4. THE VALENZUELA CITYCOUNCIL FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. In accordance with the goal set forth by MTYDP 2005 - 2010 seeking to establish local youth development councils in every province, city, municipality and barangay, there will be a local counterpart in the city called the Valenzuela City Council for Youth Development (VCCYD) which shall be composed of and function according to the following provisions:

	a)	COMPOSITION. The Valenzuela City Council for Youth Development shall be headed by the City Mayor as the Chairman, the incumbent Sangguniang Kabataan President or in the absence of a Sangguniang Kabataan President, the Chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee for Youth and Sports Development, as the Vice-Chairman with the following members:
		a.	The respective Sangguniang Kabataan Chairmen of each barangay or in the absence of such, the Chairmen of the Sangguniang Barangay Committee for Youth and Sports Development;
		b.	Representative from the City Youth Development Office;
		c.	The City Schools Division Superintendent;
		d.	The City Planning Officer;
		e.	Representatives of accredited youth organizations that the council may resolve to draft as members during their meetings;
		f.	Advisory members. Heads of the city government departments or other agencies who the council may call upon from time to time in an advisory capacity.
	b)	FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. Without prejudice to any other functions and responsibilities that its members may deem fit to undertake, the VCCYD shall fulfill the following:
		a.	Convene at least quarterly or as often as it deems necessary;
		b.	Compel the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman or the acting Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports Development of each barangay to issue formal status reports regarding the situation of the youth constituents within their respective jurisdictions, including the projects and programs they have implemented and those they plan to implement;
		c.	Publish the City Youth Situational Report;
		d.	Formulate the Youth Welfare and Development Agenda of the city and coordinate with all necessary government agencies and NGOs regarding its implementation;
		e.	Establish the City Youth Registry Database;
		f.	Conceptualize the official "Buwan ng Kabataan" celebration for the city and formulate appropriate activities;
		g.	Submit reports of its accomplishments to the city government, the Sangguniang Panlungsod and the National Youth Commission;
		h.	Perform such other functions to further the cause of youth welfare and development.
		i.	Keep in constant consultation with the National Youth Commission with regards to the consistency of its policies and activities with the national agenda.
		j.	Serve as support arm for the implementation of the Out-of -School Youth Programs

SECTION 5. THE YOUTH WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA. - The VCCYD shall formulate and publish the Youth Welfare and Development Agenda of the city which will be adopted by the city government as its primary framework for its policies, programs and projects regarding the youth sector of Valenzuela. It shall contain the following primary components:

	a)	THE CITY YOUTH SITUATIONAL REPORT (CYSR). Based upon the annual youth status reports to be submitted by the Sangguniang Kabataan chairmen of each barangay the CYSR shall contain the following:
		a.	Statistical data on the population and demographic situation of the youth in every barangay and the city in general;
		b.	The predicaments facing the youth sector in each barangay and the city in general, especially the problems involving education, livelihood, health, abuse and exploitation;
		c.	The recommended solutions for the problems facing the youth sector in each barangay and the city in general.
	b)	PRESENT DAY REAL LIFE PROBLEMS OF THE YOUTH. A realistic and relevant listing of the problems and dilemmas facing the youth sector in the city according to their prevalence, for example:
		a.	Health concerns such as malnutrition and sickness;
		b.	Security concerns such as violence, persecution and bullying;
		c.	Educational concerns such as under-education and incapability of education;
		d.	Livelihood concerns such as poverty and labor exploitation;
		e.	Moral concerns such as hopelessness and misdirection;
		f.	Lack of opportunities or ignorance of existing opportunities.
	c)	PRESENTATION OF VIABLE SOLUTIONS. The solutions to the identified problems conceptualized by the council members and advisers shall form an integral part of the Youth Welfare and Development Agenda, the primary components of which are:
		a.	Access to free or affordable health services;
		b.	The establishment of a youth affairs desk by the local PNP, specifically dealing with violence, persecution, abuse and bullying of the youth;
		c.	Continuing scholarship programs and other affordable means for the youth to avail of formal and informal education;
		d.	Livelihood training programs which include opportunities for technical support and capital assistance for youth organizations;
		e.	Permanent counseling services accessible to all youth in the city, using all the modern methods of communication available;
		f.	A permanent information center wherein the youth can learn of the opportunities, programs, projects and services available to them;
		g.	All other programs, projects and undertakings that the council deems necessary for the betterment of youth welfare and development.
	d)	CHRONOLOGY. The specific time frame by which all goals of the Youth Welfare and Development Agenda can be realistically achieved, broken down into what is achievable into short term, medium term and long term periods.
	e)	FUNDING. A detailed report of how the Youth Welfare and Development Agenda will be funded and monitored by the Chief Executive in his discretion.

SECTION 6. THE VALENZUELA CITY YOUTH CENTER. To serve as the central headquarters of all youth activities, the Valenzuela City Youth Center (VYC) will be established to fulfill the following roles:

	a)	Serve as the meeting place for the Valenzuela City Council for Youth Development (VCCYD);
	b)	Serve as the information center wherein the youth can learn of all programs, projects, services and opportunities available to them;
	c)	Provide guidance and counseling services for the youth in need of advise;
	d)	Serve as the central registration center for the City Youth Registry Database;
	e)	All other functions that the council deems necessary to undertake.

SECTION 7. THE CITY YOUTH REGISTRY DATABASE. In order to better ascertain and monitor the true situation of the youth in the city, the VCCYD will be tasked to establish and maintain the City Youth Registry Database (CYRD) which shall be a database record of all youth within the city as defined in Article I, Section 2 (b) of this ordinance. It shall be governed by the following rules:

	a)	Registration with the CYRD shall be continuous, all those qualified and wishing to be registered will be accepted regardless if they are registered with the local office of the Commission on Elections or not:
	b)	The CYRD shall contain a complete detailed background of each registrant including family, education, contact information and livelihood aspirations;
	c)	During the instances of registration for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the CYRD can serve as a support database the Commission on Elections by which the qualification of those who want to be registered with them can be more easily verified;
	d)	The CYRD shall serve as an effective tool to gauge the sociological situation of the city's youth;
	e)	For purposes of legitimacy and recognition by the city government, all organized groups wishing to consider themselves as youth organizations and at least 70% of its membership consist of those falling into the age bracket as defined in Article II, Section 2 b) of this ordinance are required to register themselves with the CYRD.

SECTION 8. THE YOUTH WELFARE PROTECTION UNIT. Much like the "Women's Desk" currently being implemented by the PNP, the local PNP of Valenzuela is hereby enjoined to establish a special team of police officers to be called the Youth Welfare Protection Unit tasked to fulfill the following duties:

	a.	Serve as the primary arm of the local PNP dealing with crimes and misdemeanors committed against the youth including all forms of abuse, violence and bullying;
	b.	Investigate reports of possible exploitation;
	c.	Work hand in hand with the VCCYD in furtherance of youth welfare protection;
	d.	Keep a continuing record of all crimes and misdemeanors committed against the youth to provide valuable information on statistical studies and policy formulation.

ARTICLE III
SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN FEDERATION

SECTION 9. DEFINITION. For the purpose of implementing this ordinance with due recognition of all existing laws regarding the Sangguniang Kabataan, all elected members of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation will be deemed as the representatives of the youth sector in the city and the primary movers for the implementation of the provisions of this ordinance.

SECTION 10. ROLE. For the purpose of implementing the provisions of this ordinance the members of the local chapter of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation shall fulfill the following duties:

	a)	The incumbent, duly elected president of the local chapter of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation shall serve as the Executive Director of the Valenzuela City Youth Center and tasked to oversee the implementation of the provisions of this ordinance under the supervision of the City Mayor;
	b)	The incumbent chairmen of the Sangguniang Kabataan in each of the thirty-three barangays will be tasked to assist the federation president in the implementation of the provisions of this ordinance within their respective jurisdictions;
	c)	All other duly elected officers of the Sangguniang Kabataan are hereby tasked to assist in the implementation of the provisions of this ordinance.

SECTION 11. TRANSITORY PROVISION. In case of political restructuring through national legislation, the role of Executive Director will be fulfilled by the elected official who will be deemed as the official representative of the youth in the city. In case of the abolition of any pertinent political structure or elected office, the Executive Director of the Valenzuela City Youth Center shall be appointed by the City Mayor, unless otherwise provided for by law.

In case of vacancies for the position of a duly elected Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman in any barangay, the duly elected Kagawad who serves as the Chairman of the Committee for Youth and Sports Development will represent the barangay.

ARTICLE IV
FINAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 12. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. If any provisions or provisions of this ordinance or the implementation of such provisions shall be deemed unconstitutional, illegal or "ultra-vires", the remaining provisions or their implementation shall not be affected by such declarations.

SECTION 13. EFFECTIVITY. This ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication once in a newspaper of general circulation and the official delivery of its copies by the Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretary to the thirty three (33) barangays and the National Youth Commission.

ENACTED.
MAY 26, 2014.
VALENZUELA CITY, METROPOLITAN MANILA.

(Sgd.) HON. ANTONIO R. ESPIRITU Councilor Majority Floor Leader	HON. ROSALIE ESTEBAN-CAYCO Councilor Minority Floor Leader
(Sgd.) HON. MARCELINO G. MORELOS Councilor	(Sgd.) HON. LORENA NATIVIDAD-BORJA Councilor Asst. Majority Floor Leader
(Sgd.) HON. ROVIN ANDREW M. FELICIANO Councilor	(Sgd.) HON. LAILANIE P. NOLASCO Councilor
(Sgd.) HON. CORAZON A. CORTEZ Councilor	(Sgd.) HON. KIMBERLY ANN D.V. GALANG Councilor
(Sgd.) HON. MARLON PAULO C. ALEJANDRINO Councilor	(Sgd.) HON. CRISSHA M. PINEDA Councilor
(Sgd.) HON. JENNIFER PINGREE-ESPLANA Councilor	(Sgd.) HON. KRISTIAN ROME T. SY Councilor
(Sgd.) HON. RAMON L. ENCARNACION Councilor (President, League of Barangays)
	ATTESTED:
	(Sgd.) FLAVIO C. DIAZ Secretary
CERTIFIED CORRECT:
(Sgd.) HON. ERIC M. MARTINEZ Presiding Officer City Vice Mayor
APPROVED:
(Sgd.) HON. REXLON T. GATCHALIAN City Mayor
Date Signed: _______________