Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Pregnant SK chief wants to continue serving youth
THE Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson of Bacayan, Cebu City who is facing an immorality complaint for allegedly getting pregnant out of wedlock wants to continue serving the youth.
SK Federation President Rengelle Pelayo said the SK official wrote her a letter last week informing her office that she still wants to remain as the barangay’s SK leader.
The SK Federation, composed of Cebu City’s 80 SK chairpersons, will convene in a general assembly this Sunday to decide on the official’s fate.
The general assembly was scheduled last Sunday but it was postponed because of typhoon Frank.
Beleaguered
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas gave the Bacayan SK official until last week to decide whether or not she would resign from her post.
Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago ordered the beleaguered SK official to explain if she could perform her functions or not, and if she can still be effective even with her pregnancy.
Because she still has not stepped down, the anti-graft office will act on the complaints filed against her.
The SK leader, a minor, heard about the immorality charge against her through lawyer Danilo Almendras of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and lawyer Ariel Bacatan of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
Pelayo had said that she consulted DILG-Cebu City on the matter and was advised to have the Bacayan SK official resign from her post.
She had admitted that the incident has marred the image of the SK as “the supposed leaders in initiating changes,” but she did not fault the SK official for it.
Ostracize
But she hoped that the public will “not generalize” and spare the other youth officials, and understand instead of ostracizing the Bacayan SK leader.
The issue was the first for Pelayo, who replaced then SK Federation president Glena Bontuyan. The latter’s term was rocked by numerous controversies involving SK officials who got pregnant out of wedlock.
Disgraceful and immoral conduct is penalized under Rule 4, Section 52 of the Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.
Disgraceful and immoral conduct, as defined in the uniform rules in civil service, can refer to an illicit sexual relationship that is contrary to public morals, between two individuals not married to each other and where at least one party is in government service. (RHM)
