Was SK head Thailand trip irregular? Archival sounds off

Local

CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival on Friday, Jan. 2, clarified that personal travel paid for with private money should not automatically be treated as wrongdoing.

He urged critics to distinguish between private expenses and the use of public funds, while keeping the government’s focus on urgent issues such as flooding and service delivery.

The issue gained traction after social media personality Rian Bacalla criticized the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials of Barangay Labangon in a Facebook post on Dec. 31, questioning why they were in Thailand while, according to her, there were no year-end youth activities in the barangay.

Her post drew more than a thousand reactions and hundreds of comments, intensifying public scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Labangon SK chairperson Kim Kyle Buendia denied allegations that public funds were used, saying the trip was personal and supported by legal travel documents.

Archival addressed the growing controversy surrounding the overseas trip of the Labangon SK officials, which sparked online backlash and renewed calls for lifestyle checks on local officials.

“Private trip na niya pero wala ko kasabot nga if private trip na, ngano ato paman siyang did-an. If iya ng kwarta gigasto, dili sa gobyerno,” Archival said.

The mayor stressed that the core issue should be whether public money was used, not the mere act of traveling.

“Gusto lang nako maklaro. 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.

Archival also pushed back against suggestions that he should personally lead a review of officials’ Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) or conduct lifestyle checks.

“Dili na akong intensyon pagtan-aw sa SALN, dili na akong mandate. Dili sad akong mandate ang lifestyle check,” he said.

He warned that aggressively pursuing such matters without proper jurisdiction could deepen political divisions and distract the city government from pressing concerns.

“That’s less of my priority nganong ako mang inagaw ug mo-create lang ug division, if tan-awon naa pay problema sa flooding,” Archival said.

While defending the distinction between private and public spending, Archival reiterated that the city government will strictly require SK officials to justify their activities and submit clear, measurable outputs, particularly after trips or official engagements.

He earlier ordered closer scrutiny of youth officials’ travels following public backlash over the Thailand trip of Labangon SK leaders.

In a local news report, Archival said in an interview he was not aware of the Labangon SK’s overseas travel and did not sign or approve any related documents.

“I don’t think so kay wala ko nakabantay ana. Yes, normally muari man gyud na nako. And wala koy napirmahan,” Archival said.

He added that if such matters had reached his office, he would have asked questions.

The mayor emphasized that all SK activities, whether local or abroad, must be justified and evaluated based on tangible outcomes, not treated as leisure.

Starting this year, he said, the city would focus more on outputs rather than attendance or travel itself.(TGP)