An SK Chairman’s job is bigger than Basketball tournaments

For years, some often associate Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) with sports tournaments and cliché community programs like basketball games and pageants. But have you ever really imagined that if leadership is measured by the people it uplifts, are these efforts already enough? What should an SK Chairman truly be doing?

The answer may be found in places that rarely make national headlines like Barangay Lipata — a far-flung coastal community in Surigao City.

Onto the big stage 

From that little barangay there comes a young leader who brought the concerns of grassroots communities to one of the world’s most important forums on sustainable development: World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13), where leaders were convened by the United Nations (UN) Habitat in Baku, Azerbaijan, last May 17-23. 

One of the Filipino representatives was John Andrie Dalugdog Penados, SK Chairman of Barangay Lipata, Surigao City.

During the roundtable discussions on Youth and Children Sectors, Penados served as the lone youth speaker from the Philippines, raising awareness on marginalized sectors, including the Sama Bajau people, the centerpiece of his agenda advocating urban development framework that safeguards marginalized sectors. 

That is why one of the lessons Penados brought home from the forum was the idea that “cities should leave no one behind.” 

According to him, “development should reach not only those with access and privilege but also those on the margins — indigenous people, vulnerable communities, and young people whose voices are often unheard.”

Yet his participation did not happen overnight; long before representing the country at the WUF13, Penados had already shown how youth leadership can move beyond symbolic representation. 

An SK Chairman actually doing work 

In November 2025, the SK of Barangay Lipata visited the Philippine Senate to personally submit project proposals centered on education and agriculture. 

Among these was the Sagip Kabataan Program, which sought to provide educational assistance, digital literacy tools, and computer sets for the Youth Hub, particularly benefiting marginalized youth, including Sama Bajau learners. 

The delegation also proposed initiatives to support young farmers, strengthen food security, and promote sustainable youth-led agriculture. 

And that participation is a reflection of a growing reality we need to apply in this political generation: youth leaders must not limit themselves to organizing activities but to represent their own community, advocate for issues, and bring local concerns into larger conversation.

Growth through the years 

Penados started serving as early as he was 18 and has been the Kabataang Surigao President and the National Secretary General of ⁠Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP-Surigao), championing reproductive health, youth leadership, and family education programs. 

Moreover, The Lipata SK council, under his leadership, has formed an alliance with Greenpeace Philippines, launching a local Climate Justice Signature Campaign and integrating ecological awareness into youth policy. 

And last October 31, 2024, the council was awarded by the Alliance for Hospitality and Tourism Management of the Philippines as Most Outstanding and Prominent Youth Council of the Year. 

They completed a good governance program by People Power Volunteers for Reform, Inc. and the Model SK Network, implementing a framework for transparency, participatory budgeting, and public consultation within the council. 

Annually, he organizes “Balik Eskwela” material distributions and youth entrepreneurship pop-ups during “Linggo ng Kabataan,” funded by community efforts to support students’ school supplies. 

He is also for social inclusion and gender equality at the village level, conducting community dialogues to promote diversity, human dignity, and mutual respect among local youth.

In recognition of these accomplishments, Barangay Lipata was awarded the title of Most Outstanding SK Council of Surigao City 2025, while Penados earned the distinction of being the Top 1 Most Outstanding SK Chairperson of Surigao City 2025 out of 54 barangays. 

Along with these honors, through council efforts they have won several awards: Champion in both Best Environment Development Project (From Pencil to Sapling) and Best Sports-focused Project (Historyakarera), Merit awards in Best Health Project (HOPE +Y) and Best Inter-organization Project (Sagip Kabataan Program), as well as finalist in Best Health Project (Mission for Life), making the council as 2nd Best of the Best of Suyog Awards 2025.

His experiences made the SK’s significance become clearer, especially when we consider its scale. 

The S in SK means step up 

The Philippines has roughly 42,000 barangays, each with an SK council. But many councils continue to struggle with low youth participation and, in some cases, tokenism, where young leaders are given seats at decision-making tables but little actual influence.

This is where the SK must step up. Young leaders should not be content with simply attending meetings or implementing routine programs for leadership, however, they did not begin with a title. 

A little story from him is that in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette last December 2021, which severely devastated Surigao City, Penados was interviewed by ABS-CBN as one of the young residents sharing realities faced by the people on the ground. 

Everyone needs to learn that it does not matter how many times a leader went abroad for an international talk and conference, the point that should be valued is that even leadership from the most overlooked communities can gain international attention when one uses his voice to address real issues and create real impacts.

From that exposure to WUF13, on May 26, SK of Barangay Lipata was recognized as a National Finalist in the Ten Outstanding UN SGD (TOUSA) 2026, highlighting the efforts of the council in youth empowerment, environmental stewardship, education, and inclusivity: areas showing what leadership can achieve when it moves beyond ceremonial functions.

That is why, those who aspire to represent the youth must live up to the principle that being young alone is not enough. No aspiring leader must remain blind to what is happening in today’s political arena, especially that the position of an SK Chairman is not merely a seat in the barangay hall, but can be a training ground for better leaders sitting in higher positions.  

Electing SK leaders is not a joke 

To my fellow young people, do not be content with knowing only a candidate’s name or asking who their parents are. Remember that even at 15 years old, you can ask questions that cut through appearances and reveal character: Can you really listen? And more importantly, can you genuinely serve?

Because somewhere in a little town that many people never heard of, a young leader can bring his community to an international audience.

And as cliché as it may sound, great leaders do not always come from big cities, famous schools, or influential families. Sometimes, they come from communities that rarely appear on the map, carrying with them stories that the world needs to hear, and Penados’ journey is one example. 

Behind his dedication to public service is also a deeply personal story of resilience. He shared that much of his courage and commitment to helping others comes from the memory of his late mother, who passed away from breast cancer. 

Just a month after their family suffered that loss, Typhoon Odette struck their community and swept away their home, leaving them homeless along with many other residents.

However, instead of allowing these hardships to define him, he chose to transform them into a source of purpose. 

Because as the headline states, when an SK leader’s impact can transcend the lines of a Basketball court by choosing to actually stand, speak, and serve for his community, even the smallest barangay can find its place on the world stage.

For the true measure of leadership is not how far its leader can go, but how many people he brings with him when he gets there.