Mayor says SK officials may travel at own expense, orders stricter scrutiny after Labangon Thailand issue
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival on Friday said overseas trips by Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials are allowed if funded with personal money, but stressed that public officials, especially youth leaders, remain accountable and must produce clear, measurable outputs after any activity or travel.
Archival issued the clarification amid public backlash over the recent Thailand trip of Barangay Labangon’s SK officials, which drew criticism online and renewed calls for stricter oversight of youth leaders’ activities.
In an interview on Friday, January 2, the mayor said there is nothing illegal about spending one’s own money for private travel.
He noted the issue should not be sensationalized if no government funds were used.
“Private trip na niya pero wala ko kasabot nga if private trip na, ngano ato pa man siyang did-an. If iya ng kwarta gigasto, dili sa gobyerno. Gusto lang nako maklaro na,” Archival said.
“Akong nabasahan iyang gigamit is kwarta man sa iyang bulsa. Dili na diay gyud pwede? Dili nalang gyud diay kalakaw nga mugasto iyang kaugalingong kwarta? And that is the point nga iyang gikasulti, “ he added.
No mandate for lifestyle check
Archival emphasized that checking officials’ Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) or conducting lifestyle checks does not fall under his mandate.
He said he prefers to focus on pressing governance concerns.
“Dili na akong intention pagtan-aw sa SALN, dili na akong mandate. Dili sad akong mandate ang lifestyle check. That’s less of my priority. Ngano man ko maghimo-himo ug division if tan-awon naa pay problema sa flooding,” he said.
Mayor not aware of trip
The mayor said he was not informed about the Labangon SK’s travel abroad and did not sign or approve any documents related to the trip.
“Normally, muari man gyud na nako. And wala koy napirmahan. I don’t remember nga niagi na nako, if mga ing’ana nga matter, ako man na sila pangutan-on,” Archival said.
He added that he only learned about the trip through public discussions.
“Wala gyud ko nakabantay gyud. Ilaha lang siguro ng kaugalingon,” he said, referring to it as a personal trip.
Outputs now required
Despite acknowledging that private trips are allowed, Archival said SK officials are still required to inform authorities and justify their activities, especially when travel is involved.
Social media backlash
The controversy erupted after social media personality Rian Bacalla criticized the Labangon SK officials in a Facebook post on December 31, saying they were in Thailand while allegedly no year-end activities were held for the youth in the barangay.
The post garnered over a thousand reactions and hundreds of comments as of posting time.
SK chair denies misuse of funds
In a local news report, Barangay Labangon SK chairperson Kim Kyle Buendia denied accusations that public funds were used for the trip, saying it was personal and legally documented.
“We are invited to the wedding day of the daughter of my father’s sister, and we also have legal papers for our travel. Kana nag-circulate nga mga issues kay sa una pa na sila tig-daut sa mga Buendia,” Buendia said.
He insisted that no government money was spent.
“Absolutely no government funds were used in this trip, not even 1 centavo, including the councilors,” he said. (LLP)
