By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – At least two Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials resigned amid pending complaints before the Davao City Council, prompting a proposal to require clearance from the City Government before accepting their resignations.
Councilor Arnulfo Ricardo Cabling, chairperson of the Committee on Ethics and Good Governance, confirmed this before the City Council’s regular session on last week . He said two out of eight officials facing complaints filed their resignation letters.
“The committee received an endorsement from the Office of the City Mayor (Sebastian Duterte) concerning SK or barangay officials who had submitted their resignations and requested their acceptance,” Cabling said.
Cabling emphasized that resignation should not be used to evade accountability, particularly when complaints alleging misuse of public funds or other violations remain unresolved. He said the SK officials are encouraged to face the complaints.
“As of the discussion, around two officials had already resigned, while others had pending cases,” the councilor said, adding that he requested the Sangguniang Panlungsod secretary to verify whether the resigning officials had pending cases.
He also proposed a resolution requesting the city mayor’s office to secure clearance from the SP Secretary or the Committee on Ethics and Good Governance before accepting the resignation of any elective official.
In an interview with the reporters, Cabling said the resolution, which was seconded and approved by the city council, aims to ensure that officials with unresolved complaints remain accountable even after leaving office.
The councilor stressed that administrative or criminal proceedings may continue even after a government official’s resignation, particularly if investigations involve alleged misuse of public funds.
“We urged SK officials with pending complaints to face them. Resigning from the position is not a solution,” Cabling said, adding that some cases may still be addressed through remediation under the SK Reform Act.
The councilor said requiring clearance before accepting resignations would be similar to other government procedures that check for outstanding obligations or unresolved cases before an official leaves office.
He said some complaints, including those involving failure to submit liquidation reports, may be resolved through guidance and remediation. However, cases involving established irregularities may warrant appropriate penalties.
As of the committee’s recent disclosure, about eight SK officials had faced complaints or were under scrutiny over alleged financial and administrative violations, although one case was set for dismissal following the death of the SK chairperson.
Cabling previously said the committee was conducting clarificatory conferences on some complaints, while other cases were being considered for remediation, particularly those involving incomplete liquidation reports.
The councilor said failure to submit a liquidation report does not mean public funds were misused, but officials must still account for the money. He added that if they have done nothing wrong, the matter will be addressed through remediation.
