THE newly elected president of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SKF) in Cebu Province urged the public not to immediately judge Minglanilla SK president John Jesson Gimenez over allegations thrown against him.
Cebu Province SKF President Jeriko Rubio said that while the practice of “kidnapping SK chairpersons” before the federation elections is deplorable, he asked the public to give Gimenez a chance to defend himself in a proper forum.
Gimenez was accused by Barangay Poblacion Ward 1 SK chairman Niño Justin Tecson of bringing 10 of the town’s SK chairpersons to a beach party just two days before the SKF polls last May 29.
Gimenez has denied the allegations.
Rubio said he condemns any SK official who commits practices that would be detrimental to the federation’s reputation.
But he also urged the council where Gimenez belongs to conduct a thorough investigation on the issue to determine if the allegations against him are true or not.
In a separate interview, Charlton James Canoy, Provincial Youth Commission chairman, said the allegations against Gimenez are disheartening especially that the public is expecting a lot from them.
“If proven nga tinood, maka-sad lang kay. Ako gyud, personally, dako ko ug panglantaw sa mga SK karon nga batch kay sila ang first nga batch after sa pag-approve sa SK Reform Law of 2015,” he said.
Republic Act 10742 was passed to curb rampant corruption and other issues that hounded the SK in the past. (JKV)