PHP1,000 LEFT IN COFFERS: SK chair vanishes after bank withdrawals

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By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman in Iloilo City’s Jaro district who allegedly made questionable financial transactions involving SK funds before vanishing three months ago.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Iloilo City Director Oscar Lim said they have launched an investigation against Joshua Jacinto, SK chairman of Barangay MV Hechanova, who was reported missing by barangay officials on July 14.

“The latest update is that he is still missing, still cannot be located,” Lim said on Friday, Oct. 10.

Jacinto’s disappearance came to light after he failed to attend several barangay and SK meetings and reportedly blocked fellow officials and deactivated his social media accounts, making it impossible to contact him.

Lim said Jacinto left three letters before going missing, including one stating travel to Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Palawan, another saying he would hike in the mountains and should not be contacted, and a third stating he would return after one month.

On July 5, Jacinto’s father reported to the barangay hall that his son had left their home without notice and took all his belongings.

Since then, Lim said Jacinto’s family has had no knowledge of his current whereabouts.

Local officials also became alarmed after discovering dubious financial transactions involving SK funds.

Lim said that based on their records Jacinto withdrew more than PHP 430,000 in a single transaction from the SK bank account in August 2024, with no supporting documents filed for these withdrawals except for honoraria of SK officials.

He added that several other withdrawals were also made, although he did not disclose the amounts.

Lim also confirmed that Jacinto was the one holding the SK checkbook and bank account.

He said the DILG requested a copy of the bank statement of account, but it took two months before the bank released it and the SK council and barangay officials even had to pass a resolution to compel the bank to release the document.

“We flagged that almost 90% of the transactions are considered to be problematic,” he said, adding that only PHP 1,000 remained in the SK account.

IS THE SK TREASURER COMPLICIT?

According to Lim, the SK treasurer admitted signing blank checks allegedly upon Jacinto’s request without knowing the transaction amounts, and two checks were issued in Jacinto’s name, which he said is highly irregular.

“If the check is in the name of the SK chairperson, the transaction should be flagged because that is very anomalous; checks are usually not issued in the name of the SK chairperson,” he said.

Lim explained that checks for SK funds are issued in the name of the SK as an entity, not in the name of an individual official like the chairperson.

The issuance of SK checks solely in the name of the chairperson is prohibited under Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2019, issued by the DILG, Department of Budget and Management, and the National Youth Commission.

According to Section 3.3.5.3 of the circular, all disbursements from the SK fund shall be made by issuing checks drawn against the current account in the name of the SK, with both the SK chairperson and the SK treasurer as official signatories.

This means checks must bear the signatures of both the SK chairperson and the SK treasurer to ensure proper financial control and accountability.

This dual-signatory requirement prevents any single SK official, including the chairperson, from having unilateral control over SK funds and helps safeguard transparency and reduce the risk of misuse of public funds.

Lim added that since some of the transactions were authorized, the SK treasurer may also be considered complicit in the anomaly and may be included in the filing of cases.

It can be noted that SK treasurers are appointed by the SK chairperson subject to concurrence of the majority of all SK members under the revised implementing rules of Republic Act 10742, the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015.

POSSIBLE CASE FILING

Lim clarified that they cannot yet conclude that an anomaly occurred, noting the absence of several official documents to support such a claim.

He said they are currently in talks with the SK Federation of Iloilo City and the Local Youth Development Office on a proposal to tighten financial protocols.

The measure seeks to regulate fund releases so that any dubious transaction can be detected early and prevented from reaching the withdrawal stage.

According to Lim, MV Hechanova Punong Barangay Nestor Ledesma will also file a complaint before the Sangguniang Panlungsod over the continued absence of the SK chairman from barangay sessions and his failure to convene SK meetings since July.

Under RA 10742, if an SK official, including the chairperson, has four consecutive absences during barangay sessions within 12 months, that may be considered a ground for administrative sanctions, which may include fines, warnings, or other penalties.

On the alleged anomalous financial transactions, Lim said it will still depend on the findings of the Commission on Audit whether a case will be elevated to the Office of the Ombudsman.

With Jacinto missing, the second SK kagawad has assumed the post of acting SK chairman after the No. 1 SK kagawad resigned to work overseas.