January 22, 2007

Remembering The Kabataang Barangay

The Kabataang Barangay was created on April 15, 1975 by virtue of Presidential Decree 684. The decree provided for the organization of KB units in the 42,000 barangays all over the country with the purpose of giving the youth a definite role in community affairs and "ample opportunities to express their views that a complete cross-section of the will of the populace could be determined, thereby providing them a more democratic and popular basis for the legislation and/or other governmental operations."


The decree also provided KB membership to all Filipinos eighteen (18) years of age and below. However, under this Decree, only the 15-18 duly registered members of the barangay compose the KB assembly, which elects the KB Council composed of one (1) Chairman and six (6) councilmen. The Chairman automatically becomes an ex-officio member of the adult barangay and acts as the Chairman of the Barangay Committee on Sports and Recreation.

(Many thanks to Beng Oppus for this photo.)

First National KB Elections
On May 1, 1975, the First National KB Elections was held. Elected were council members of 42,000 KB units and presidents of 1,482 Municipal KB Federations, 60 KB City Federations, 75 KB Provincial Federations, 13 Regional KB Presidents and one (1) National KB Federation.

First National KB Congress
On May 10-1, 1976, the 1st National KB Congress was held at the KB Training Center, Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna. It was during this Congress that the KB Constitution was initially drafted.

First KB Constitutional Convention
The KB Constitution was finally framed during the 1st-KB Constitutional Convention held on February 28, 1977 in Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna and was subsequently ratified by the mass members nationwide on July 28 that same year.

In the same forum, KB leaders agitated for the expansion of KB membership to include youth who are 21 years of age and below.

Informative KB text and information from: Imee Marcos Online



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Posted

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:30 PM

    I used to have a KB tee shirt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:44 AM

    Some people would argue that the Kabataang Barangay was simply the Marcos administration's way of programming filipino youth, to somehow mask the mass corruption and plunder they were doing behind the scenes, but did the KB continue to exist after Marcos was ousted by the people power revolt in 1986?

    ReplyDelete
  3. dayuhangkayumanggi10:00 AM

    Looks like an idea ripe for revival...this time with Imee's son, Borgy Manotoc, at the helm.

    The new version of KB will be assembling every Friday over at The Fort...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8:26 AM

    I don't think that would work. If they do, they should at least change the name. Kabataang Barangay is so closely associated with the corrupt Marcos regime that if they try to revive it with the same name, it would only open old wounds and posibly even cause instability in the country. Putting Borgy Manotoc at the helm of it wouldn't be such a good idea either since he seems to have picked up his grandfather's unpleasant habit of being a liar.

    ReplyDelete
  5. StudentPolitician7:59 AM

    The Kabataang Barangay exists today as the Sangguniang Kabataan.

    ReplyDelete