• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A youth organization is opposing a proposed ordinance that seeks to require all educational institutions and student groups to coordinate with barangays concerned before conducting off-campus activities in Bacolod City.
The Kabataan Partylist Negros Chapter has submitted a position paper, urging the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) not to pass the proposed ordinance mandating schools and student organizations in Bacolod to secure barangay coordination for research, outreach, immersion, and related activities for students.
The group also raised their opposition during the public hearing June 26 by the Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr., who authored the proposal approved by the SP on first reading June 17.
In the ordinance, Gamboa said the lack of formal coordination between educational institutions and local barangay authorities often results in students being unrecognized while conducting activities within various jurisdictions.
“This gap in coordination has led to misunderstandings and compromised their security while engaging in legitimate academic research, outreach, or immersion,” the proposed ordinance states. “The primary purpose of this ordinance is to establish a framework for the coordination between educational stakeholders and barangay authorities to ensure the safety of students and the orderly conduct of community-based activities.”
But the local Kabataan Partylist said the mandatory coordination process, which involves logbook registration, posting notices, and barangay monitoring, constitutes an overreach that could compromise data privacy, and skew objective research results.
“The ordinance also introduces potential discrimination of youth-led community activities and initiatives not necessarily coming from learning institutions,” it added.
It argued that the proposed ordinance duplicates existing safety and coordination protocols already strictly enforced by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, under CHED Memorandum 63-2017, and DepEd Department Order 66-2017.
The group urged the SP to instead focus on holistic measures that safeguard student rights. | TMD
