DAVAO City Councilor Arnulfo Cabling revealed that five Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons are facing funding misuse complaints.
Cabling, who chairs the Committee on Ethics and Good Governance, said they expected this number to increase, as initially, his office did not receive any complaints against SK members.
“We have to teach them right kasi akala ng mga SK naglaro-laro lang sila ba [they think that they are just playing]. So I think it’s high time we teach them right, and we really have to impose sanctions,” he said during the Pulong Pulong sa Dabawenyos on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
When asked which barangays the SK chairpersons with complaints are from, Cabling revealed that most of them are from the third district.
He added that among the five SK chairpersons facing complaints, one has already resigned. However, Cabling said they will continue to receive and accept evidence since the case against them is administrative, and his committee will go after them, even those who resigned, to ensure that sanctions, penalties, and disqualification from holding any public office in the future are imposed.
Cabling said that if there is any misallowance, the concerned individual should go to the Commission on Audit (COA). If there is an anomaly, the government will be compelled to have the chairperson pay it after liquidation. If they fail to do so, then criminal cases would be filed against them.
“We drive our message clear na [that] we are not playing; you are supposed to do projects for the kabataan di ba [for the youth, right],” he said.
On the proposed abolition of the SK by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Cabling said that although he agrees with the sentiments of the secretary following the cases of two SK chairpersons in Makati over anomalous spending of barangay funds, Cabling stressed that there are still SK members who are performing well.
Cabling said that the training of these well-performing SKs would be put to waste if the SK were abolished. He added that members of the SK should be taught how to be good government officials instead. However, he lamented that some were already corrupted.
Instead of abolishing the SK, he suggested that measures should be put in place to further improve it and teach the youth to be good public servants.
Earlier, Remulla reiterated his call for the abolition of the SK, citing that he would make recommendations for an amendment to the 1987 Constitution regarding the barangay youth council. He then said that it would be more practical to designate individuals to oversee the affairs of the youth instead of holding elections. RGP
