Filipino Children and Youth Participation in Nation-Building Law of 1985

December 16, 1985

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 2003

FILIPINO CHILDREN AND YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN THE NATIONAL-BUILDING LAW OF 1985

WHEREAS, the children and youth of this country aged below one year to twenty-four years constitute 62 percent of the entire population;

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Philippines provides that the "State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote their physical, intellectual and social well-being;" cd i

WHEREAS, the child and youth welfare code, Presidential Decree 603 as amended, declares that the "Child is one of the most important assets of the nation" and that every effort is being exerted today to promote his survival and development and enhance his opportunities for a useful and happy life;

WHEREAS, the decade of the Filipino child covering the period of 1977 to 1987 has resulted in the overall improvement of the quality of life of Filipino children and youth below 25 years through significant changes in and the reduction of the effect of serious problems affecting the young in morality, morbidity, malnutrition, illiteracy, ignorance, ill-effects of poverty, disability, delinquency including drug and child abuse, and disadvantage due to the under-development of communities in which they live; and

WHEREAS, 1985 is the United Nations International Year of Youth (IYY) and that the Philippines has appropriately observed this year with actions and services that implement the theme of IYY of "Participation, Development, Peace;"

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby decree as follows:

SECTION 1.  This decree shall be known as the Filipino Children and Youth Participation in Nation-building Law of 1985.

SECTION 2.  December 7 to 11 of every year shall be called "National Youth Participation in National-building" period and shall be observed with the annual election of a youth mayor and local city or municipal officials in every city and municipality and with the annual election of a youth governor and provincial officials in every province, together with the launching of projects which maximize participation of youth in governmental affairs and focus on the survival and total development of children and youth. Youth elected to the positions provided in this section shall be between the ages of 15 to 20. cd

SECTION 3.  There is hereby created a youth Batasang Pambansa which shall be composed of not more than 200 youth representatives. Each youth Batasang Pambansa representative shall be appointed by the incumbent member of the Batasang Pambansa and shall be a youth between the ages 20 to 24.

The first youth Batasang Pambansa shall convene on December 7, 1987 and shall hold sessions until December 11, 1987 to consider recommendations on the survival, welfare, and total development of children and youth from below one year to twenty-four years. Thereafter, the Youth Batasang Pambansa shall convene every year on December 7 to December 11 to consider recommendations for legislation and/or executive policy or program. The Youth Batasang Pambansa shall elect its youth speaker and such other officials which it shall consider necessary.

SECTION 4.  Every child-caring and/or youth-serving organization shall elect or otherwise appoint a youth president or chairman of the board who shall be a member of the governing board of such child-caring and/or youth-serving organization with the right to vote and to fully participate in the decision-making of the governing board. The youth president or chairman of the board shall be between the ages of 15 to 24 and shall be elected annually during the period of "National Youth Participation in Nation-building." cdt

SECTION 5.  The youth mayors and local officials, the youth governor and provincial officials, the youth batasang pambansa, and the youth presidents or chairmen of the board of child-caring and/or youth-serving organizations shall convene as a deliberate and recommendatory body during the observance of the fourth president's national conference on the development of children and youth in 1990 and every five years thereafter to present recommendations to the President of the Philippines on the survival, welfare, and total development of children and youth between the ages of below one year to twenty-four years. acd

SECTION 6.  The council for the welfare of children created under the Child and Youth Welfare Code, Presidential Decree 603, as amended, is hereby designated as the implementing body for this decree. For the purpose of fully implementing the provisions of Presidential Decree 603, as amended, Article 205 thereof is hereby amended to include as ex officio members of the council for the welfare of children the following officials: the Minister of Human Settlements, the Minister of Local Government, the Speaker of the Batasang Pambansa, and the Executive Director of the Council. The youth speaker of the Youth Batasang Pambansa shall be invited to council meetings when the Youth Batasang Pambansa is in session. The Executive Director shall head the Secretariat for the projects under this Decree and shall have the rank, privileges, and emoluments of a career executive service officer I.

SECTION 7.  All laws or parts of any laws, inconsistent with the provisions of this decree are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. cd i

SECTION 8.  If any provision of this decree is held invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby shall continue in operation.

SECTION 9.  This decree shall take effect upon approval.

APPROVED this 16th day of December 1985, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five, in Malacañang, Manila.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 81 No. 52 Page 6058 on December 30, 1985.