The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) here started Monday a series of training for some 3,480 newly-elected Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials in North Cotabato province, with an initial of 272 participants completing the instruction.

The first batch of SK officials from Matalam town began their three-day training on Saturday, jointly facilitated by the DILG, the Provincial Governor’s Office-Provincial Youth Development Division, and the local government unit.

“The activity aims to equip new leaders with valuable knowledge to become productive servants in their locality,” DILG provincial director Ali Abdullah said.

Abdullah said discussion topics include decentralization and local governance, SK history and salient features, meetings and resolutions, planning and budgeting, and the code of conduct and ethical standards.

The topics are designed for the youth officials “for them to perform their duties and responsibilities well.”

North Cotabato, which includes this city and 17 municipalities in its area of jurisdiction, currently has 480 barangays, excluding the 36 villages in the province that now belongs to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In a statement Monday, Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza expressed her support for the training of the young leaders, citing the much-needed honing of their abilities to craft substantial legislation and appropriate interventions for their sector.

“The provincial government will always partner with the SK officials to ensure fair and better opportunities for all young Cotabateños,” she said. (PNA)