Questions regarding the purpose and agenda of an international trip involving Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) leaders from Manila were raised online, after a councilor reportedly shared photos of the event.
On Sunday, September 7, a Reddit user posted about the youth leaders’ trip to Bangkok, Thailand, which was described as a “Capacity Development Training Course and International Benchmarking Activity.”
“Taxpayer-Funded Junket: SK Leaders in Manila Dresses Up Bangkok Exposure Trip as ‘Capacity Development’ and ‘International Benchmarking,’” the Redditor said in the “r/Philippines” community.
The Reddit user questioned the relevance of the activity, pointing out that Bangkok “has no SK system,” and raised concerns about the purpose of the benchmarking trip.
“Who are we benchmarking? Mickey Mouse? International benchmarking means comparing your system to another similar system to identify gaps and best practices. Since Bangkok has no SK equivalent (no youth-elected local governance structure), there’s no actual system-to-system comparison happening,” the Redditor said.
“And true capacity development means building concrete skills and institutions, not flying abroad for photo-ops. Taxpayer money deserves better than being wasted on misrepresented ‘training activities.’ Our leaders owe us transparency and accountability, not photo-ops abroad,” the online user added.
Taxpayer-Funded Junket: SK Leaders in Manila Dresses Up Bangkok Exposure Trip as ‘Capacity Development’ and ‘International Benchmarking’
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As of this writing, the posts are no longer visible on the Facebook page of SK Federation President and Manila Councilor Yanyan Ibay. However, on Friday, September 5, she shared a post about the activity, stating: “SK Chairpersons of Manila, see you in Thailand! Together, let’s advocate for global reproductive health and empower the youth to lead change.”
Other Facebook pages also contain posts about the activity, indicating that it did take place.
The Manila Youth Development and Welfare Bureau congratulated the youth leaders and shared details about a “pre-departure orientation seminar” held on Thursday, September 4.
The Sangguniang Kabataan-Barangay 649 Zone 68 District V (Baseco) Port Area also posted about the international trip, saying it has the theme, “Bridging Transformative Leadership, Championing Sexual and Reproductive Health Care.”
“This program aims to strengthen our youth leaders’ knowledge, skills, and global perspective, para mas maging handa silang magbigay-serbisyo at magtaguyod ng mas makabuluhang adbokasiya para sa kabataan,” it said.
A travel agency also posted about the activity, thanking the youth leaders for involving them in organizing and making the trip possible.
The trip raised concerns from Redditors following the observations.
“Since Bangkok has no SK equivalent (no youth-elected local governance structure), there’s no actual system-to-system comparison happening,” the one who raised awareness about the activity said.
“And true capacity development means building concrete skills and institutions, not flying abroad for photo-ops. Taxpayer money deserves better than being wasted on misrepresented ‘training activities.’ Our leaders owe us transparency and accountability, not photo-ops abroad,” the Redditor said.
In the replies section, other Filipinos shared a photo labeled “Day 2” of the Thailand trip, showing youth leaders participating in activities such as elephant rides and feeding.
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“Meron daw ‘deep convo.’ Based on this post, parang sila-sila lang naman ang nag-organize nito. Bakasyon na may kaunting meeting,” the uploader of the screengrab of Ibay’s post wrote.
“Can we see the training program and what is on the agenda? Also, which institution provided their capacity development sa Thailand? Ano din Re-entry plan ng mga kagawads para makita natin outcome ng seminar na ito?” another said.
“They owe us the transparency. Magkano nagastos and para saan. And they also owe us the output, anong mga programs natutunan nila and anong programs ma-i-impliment nila. Hindi dapat magtapos sa capacity [building] itong post nila,” a different Redditor said.
“Ano bang habol nila sa Thailand para mag-seminar? Haha, maiintindihan ko pa kung combat training ‘yan eh, mauupo lang naman sila most of the time at makikinig. Ang laki pa ng gastos! Kung tutuusin, pwede namang sa Pinas na lang gawin ‘yan,” another wrote.
“Dapat pag-aralan muna nila kung paano maging mabuting public servant nang hindi gumagastos ng sobra sa mga hindi naman kailangan. Mas mainam kung ituon nila ang pondo sa mga makabuluhang gawain. Bakit hindi na lang i-invest ang pera sa training o seminar para sa mga kabataan tungkol sa sex education o kung paano hindi maging uto-uto?” the online user added.
“This is ridiculous. I’ve been in Thailand for eight months, and there’s no SK or anything remotely similar, that they could ‘benchmark’ here. It’s nothing but a flimsy excuse for a free trip disguised as learning, offering no real value to the PH community,” another Redditor said.
A junket trip is defined as a trip undertaken by an official at the public’s expense.
In 2019, former president Rodrigo Duterte issued a ban on such trips for government officials and employees.
The ban covered activities like strategic planning workshops and team-building events held abroad.
