Manila SK Federation President and Councilor Yanyan Ibay came under fire on social media over a trip to Thailand involving several SK leaders.
According to Ibay, the Bangkok visit was part of a capacity development training and international benchmarking program. However, photos of SK leaders riding boats at the floating market and even riding elephants sparked criticism, with many netizens calling the trip a waste of taxpayers’ money.
In his defense, Ibay said the program included a seminar on HIV awareness, where Thailand shared best practices in reducing HIV cases.
“The board of SK Federation decided nga na i think, naka-allign ba siya sa gusto naming mangyari with Manila and given nga po na ang daming depressed areas dito sa Manila so we wanted to tackle HIV awareness kasi it’s a silent pandemic,” Ibay explained.
She said that each participant spent ₱33,990 for the seminar, airfare, accommodation, and meals, plus ₱6,000 in daily subsistence allowance. The expenses, she added, were approved by the Manila City Council and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
But DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla contradicted this, saying he had not received any report about the controversial SK trip.
“Hindi ko alam kung saan nanggaling ang pondo, kung sino ang nagpadala sa kanila,” Remulla said.
He added, “Siyempre City of Manila pero kailangan pa ng full investigation kung saan nanggaling ang pera.”
Remulla also stressed that the Manila SK Federation appeared careless, pointing out that participants should have been reminded not to engage in leisure activities during a taxpayer-funded seminar.
“Isa na namang carelessness yan eh. Mahirap sa social media ‘yong nang-iinggit ka,” the DILG chief remarked.