Sanggunian ng Kabataan officials' perspectives on issues in Santa Maria, Bulacan.

Different People, Different Stories. Every human has different perspectives based on what they see and have experienced in their life. It affects their minds, actions, and how they will look at the world.    For this blog, I interviewed two (2) Sanggunian ng Kabataan (SK) officials of Baranggay Pulong Buhangin, Santa Maria, Bulacan who have seen and experienced the problems with the said location.    The first respondent is a 20-year-old SK Treasurer of Barangay Pulong Buhangin, Mr. San Pedro. The other one is Ms. Del Rosario, 22 years old, the SK Kagawad of the same barangay.  They have seen problems or issues around their community, and based on Mr. San Pedro, the SK treasurer, the issue he noticed are the problem in education, unemployment/job loss, and population growth.   • Education. One of the common issues that remains unresolved up to these days, which made it worse when the pandemic started. The online class started in 2020, and there are a lot of students who cannot access education because of not having enough money, gadgets, and other materials needed for online classes.   • Unemployment/Job loss. When the pandemic started, the number of unemployed people had increased due to the lockdown. Where almost everyone was staying in their houses because of COVID-19 restrictions.    • Population Growth. According to Mr. San Pedro, "para sa akin magkaka konekta ang mga sinabi kong problema, Una, dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho, nagiging sanhi ito ng mas mahabang oras na magkasama ang mga magkasintahan na nauuwi sa pagbubuntis, sa pagdami ng populasyon hindi kayang i-cater lahat ng pamilya ang edukasyon ng kabilang nga anak kaya nauuwi eto sa paghinto ng ilang mag-aaral dahil na rin sa pagdami ng kabilang pamilya, at mas pinalala panito ng naranasan nating pandemic."   Meaning, all the problems are connected to each other, which affects the lives of the citizens of Santa Maria.  Mr. San Pedro also stated that these problems have an effect on the community. He stated, "Taon taon din dumadami ang mga indigent, ang mga solo parent, ang mga 4ps, nadagdagan din ang drop out rate sa mga paaralan."   These concerns are somehow related to the answers of my two (2) respondents in Blog #1.   Based on my respondent # 3, a teacher who raised a problem about poverty, "Isa sa mga nakikita kong cause ng poverty ay kakulangan sa edukasyon." Bakit? If a person does not have a formal education, he or she will not be able to find work. Alam naman natin ang kalakaran bago ka makahanap ng isang trabaho, kailangan nakapag-aral ka." I totally agree with it because these days, we cannot deny that for us to get hired by a company or simply get a job, we have to get an education first. And if we don't have any educational background, it will lead to unemployment. Maybe some will get a job, but not permanently.   According to my respondent # 6, a customer service associate who raised a concern about the loss of job, she said that "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium enterprises that close down is very painful for me because I also have my own business and I know the feeling of losing your dream and it can slow the growth of our economy." "In my observation of the huge numbers of jobless people when the pandemic hits, it truly saddens my heart to see families who struggle with their financial needs. "   This proves that the COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on everyone, not only on the people in Santa Maria, Bulacan, but also on other places and countries.    But based on my second respondent, Ms. Del Rosario, the SK Kagawad of the same barangay, the issues she wants to be addressed are about drugs.    • Drugs. We all know that drugs have effects, especially when a user uses too much of them. It affects the human mind, personal self-control, and it can cause hallucinations. Based on the SK Kagawad of Pulong Buhangin, the reason why she wants this to be addressed is "Isa ito sa mga isyu na patuloy pa ring lumalaganap sa aming komunidad at nakakaalarma na pabata ng pabata ang gumagamit ng mga ito." She also said that this issue can cause fear for everyone. And based on her, "Biktima ako ng sexual harassment ng isang drug user, napakahirap para sa akin na maramdaman yung kaligtasan ko dahil sa takot at trauma na naidulot nito sa akin." "Katulad ko bawat tao sa aming komunidad ay may takot na dala sa kung ano yung mga pwedeng magawa o gawin ng mga taong nasa ilalim ng impluwensiya ng ipinagbabawal na gamot na maaaring malapit sa kanila. "   This issue is alarming and can really cause trauma to everyone. It needs to be raised before it's too late.    Conclusion: The two respondents of Sanggunian ng Kabataan (SK) have different perspectives on each other. But if it is based on the concerns of the citizens from Blog # 1, there are two (2) concerns that are somehow interrelated or have the same concern with the officials.   They may have different concerns based on what they see and experience, but it still deserves to be seen, to be heard, and to have a solution.    This also proves that there are so many unresolved issues in Santa Maria, Bulacan, especially in Barangay Pulong Buhangin.