Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced Monday that the government is pursuing criminal charges against two youth council chairpersons in Makati City following allegations of kickbacks and forged documents.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) identified the officials as Natalia Georgianna M. Tupaz of Barangay Dasmariñas and Cecilia Louise P. Yabut of Barangay Magallanes.
Both hold the position of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson in two of the country’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
“Corruption has reached the SK, even in the richest barangays,” Remulla said. “It is frustrating — these people are already wealthy, yet they want to enrich themselves further using government money.”
Tupaz was handed a six-month administrative suspension after she allegedly demanded a 20 percent kickback from a supplier for a Halloween project.
Investigators said the demand was confirmed via Viber messages and a phone call, with Tupaz reportedly claiming such cuts were “standardized” in the council. She is also accused of falsifying an SK resolution.
Meantime, Yabut received a three-month suspension for allegedly submitting procurement documents with forged signatures, including that of a council member who was out of the country at the time.