Joselito Malig

Manila SK Federation: Thailand trip focused on HIV prevention; approved by DILG

Article (news)

Izzy Lee

ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Manila defended its three-day training in Bangkok, Thailand after photos of SK leaders on leisure tours drew criticism online, with people calling the trip a waste of public funds.In a now-deleted Facebook post, Councilor Juliana Ibay, president of the Manila SK Federation, said the trip was part of a capacity development and international benchmarking program with St. Robert’s International College in Thailand, focusing on HIV awareness.Citing Thailand’s success in curbing HIV cases against the Philippines’ alarming surge, Ibay said the goal was for SK leaders to learn from Thailand’s “best practices” and apply them in Manila.&quot;The SK Federation decided na naka-align siya sa gusto naming mangyari with Manila and given nga po na ang daming depressed areas din dito sa Manila, so we wanted po na tackle HIV awareness because it&#x27;s a silent pandemic,&quot; Ibay explained.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/6/3/hiv-cases-in-ph-rise-by-500-among-ages-15-25-doh-0944">HIV cases in PH rise by 500% among ages 15-25: DOH</a></div>&quot;We wanted to garner as much knowledge as we can when it comes to the best practices of Thailand that&#x27;s why we opted to do the seminar in Thailand,&quot; she added.According to Ibay, the training program runs from September 6 to 24 in nine batches because no single airline or venue could accommodate all participants at once. Out of 896 SK leaders in Manila, 667 joined the trip.She added that the trip was funded through SK funds, with each participant allotted P33,900 to cover training, seminars, transportation, food, and accommodation.Participants also received a ₱6,000 daily subsistence allowance in line with government guidelines. She said reports will be submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) for transparency and accountability, and denied allegations of any conflict of interest involving the travel agency.&quot;Wala pong conflict of interest with that because I am not in any way blood-related naman sa mga travel agency. Wala po kaming travel agency sa pamilya po namin,&quot; she said.Ibay also admitted it was not purely a seminar, as the program also included trips for cultural immersion.&quot;We wanted to immerse the children as much as we can, not only &#x27;yung matututunan nila sa seminar, but also what Thailand has to offer,&quot; she said.&quot;So basically, it&#x27;s hitting two birds in one stone. So, meron tayong matutunan with regards to HIV and also we have something that shows &#x27;yung tourism po ng Thailand. So hindi naman siya bakasyon lang. It was a seminar also,&quot; she added.She said all the requirements for official travel were secured, with the trip approved by both the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the City Government of Manila.&quot;Everything we did naman is legal and lahat naman po nakadaan sa proseso po,&quot; she said.Participants are mandated to submit Re-Entry Action Plans to replicate what they learned in their barangays, while the SK Federation of Manila said it also plans to file ordinances and implement community-based HIV programs in the city following the training.&quot;I understand naman po na we have an ongoing issue right now with the flood control, pero di naman po ghost project &#x27;yung ginawa namin. We have multiple things set up after the seminar para po ma-implement namin ng maayos yung HIV awareness dito sa Manila and kung paano natin i-ko-combat &#x27;yung HIV,&quot; she said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/6/6/hiv-best-practices-and-how-the-ph-is-playing-catch-up-1326">HIV best practices and how the PH is playing catch-up</a></div>She also clarified that SK officials are mandated by law to undergo continuing training under the SK Reform Act but participation was voluntary, with unused training funds subject to reprogramming.Ibay also addressed why she decided to delete her post.&quot;There&#x27;s no perfect leader, you&#x27;re gonna make mistakes at the end of the day. I didn&#x27;t want to enrage the people the fact na nakapadami ngang issues ngayon,&quot; she said.Meanwhile, the DILG said it has yet to receive the full report on the trip.&quot;Wala pa sa akin ang full report eh. Nakita ko lang &#x27;yung Facebook. Actually, hindi ko alam saan nanggaling &#x27;yung pondo, kung sino ang nagpadala sa kanila. Siyempre, City of Manila, pero kailangan ko ng investigation saan nanggaling ang pera,&quot; said DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla.Remulla also described the posting of leisure photos by the SK Federation on social media as a form of “carelessness.”&quot;Actually, isa nanaman &#x27;yang carelessness eh. Mahirap sa social media &#x27;yung nang-iinggit ka eh. Nagmamalaki pa kasi,&quot; he added.Dr. Ela Atienza, professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, explained that public officials, including SK leaders, are generally allowed to attend capability or leadership training seminars to equip them with the right knowledge and skills.However, she said that such activities must be regulated and approved by the DILG, and participants are expected to demonstrate concrete outcomes when they return.<div> <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/12/sk-programs-should-not-be-limited-to-sports-says-youth-commission-chair-1648">SK programs should not be limited to sports, says youth commission chair</a></div>&quot;Talagang dapat may mga leadership trainings. Minsan ay talagang sa abroad, lalong lalo na benchmarking kung talagang ang expertise ay mapo-provide ng ibang mga agencies at matututo sila sa ibang bansa sa mga practices, pero dapat sumunod sa guidelines ng government natin,&quot; Atienza said.&quot;Even our Mayors they attend Lakbay Aral seminars abroad. So allowed naman &#x27;yun ng mga laws natin,&quot; she added.But Atienza said that perception matters just as much as intent.&quot;Dun sa mga post nila &#x27;yung may pinapakita silang namamasyal, sana ang mas i-highlight nila ay &#x27;yung mga natutunan nila. Baka kasi ang maging perception ng mga tao, kahit halimbawa seryosong uma-attend lang ng training, ng seminar at gusto talagang matuto ng ating SK representatives ay baka maisip nila ay baka namamasyal lang &#x27;yung mga yan, junket, sayang &#x27;yung pera,&quot; she said.She added that SK leaders are still public officials and are bound by the same codes of conduct and expectations under government rules.&quot;How they conduct themselves, kahit bata pa sila, SK sila, subject din sila sa mga expectations na dapat hindi masyadong nagdi-display ng masyadong mararangyang bagay o kaya may mga activities na parang gingamit nila &#x27;yung times na parang dapat official duty sila,&quot; she said.

The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Manila defended its three-day training in Bangkok, Thailand after photos of SK leaders on leisure tours drew criticism online, with people calling the trip a waste of public funds.

The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation of Manila defended its three-day training in Bangkok, Thailand after photos of SK leaders on leisure tours drew criticism online, with people calling the trip a waste of public funds.