Sokor trip had DILG approval, say officials

AFTER the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, now it’s two Cebu City councilors and 14 Cebu City Hall employees who are scheduled to go on a four-day “Lakbay Aral” trip.

Councilors Roberto Cabarrubias and Leah Japson together with 14 City Hall employees will leave for Yeosu City, a coastal area in South Korea to attend a boat festival.

The 14 employees will perform a Sinulog festival dance during the event.

Cabarrubias said their trip had been approved by the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG).

“They already had a permit so it’s okay,” Regional DILG-7 Director Pedro Noval Jr. told Cebu Daily News.

A DILG memorandum issued by Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo restricts local officials from conducting seminars or trainings outside of their area in order to save on funds.

The Cebu City government allocated P320,000 for the trip, with each official and employee budgetted at P20,000.

Cabarrubias said the Yeosu government will shoulder their accommodation.

The P20,000 will only cover the two way ticket of every person in the contingent.

They are scheduled to fly to Korea by Busan airline at 4:30 am, today and they will return on Sunday evening.

The DILG also instructed them to only have a plane trip with no per diem.

“We may even spend our own money for food there,” Cabarrubias said.

The councilor said they may even invite Yeosu officials to forge possible partnerships with the Cebu City government.

Cabarrubias said Yeosu officials plan to visit Cebu City in October this year.

About 30 SK Cebu City officials were warned not to proceed to a Baguio City trip last week by the DILG-7, saying they may be issued a disallowance by the Commission on Audit (COA).

But SK City Federation president John Philip Po said the trip wasn’t covered by the circular since it only covered local government initiated activities.

About P15,000 were spent for each participant, way above the P2,000 allowed per travel.

Po said only those barangays that could afford to send their SK officials paid for their travel. Correspondent Fatrick Tabada