The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has suspended two Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons in Makati City over separate allegations of corruption, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Monday.
Remulla identified the officials as Natalia Georgianna M. Tupas of Barangay Dasmariñas Village and Cecilia Louise P. Yabut of Barangay Magallanes. Both face administrative penalties and recommended criminal charges to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
According to the DILG, Tupas was accused of demanding a 20% kickback for a barangay Halloween project in October 2025. A supplier reported that Tupas confirmed the request through messages and a phone call, later agreeing to reduce the amount to P70,000.
Authorities also alleged that Tupas authorized the use of a forged signature of an SK secretary to facilitate a resolution involving fund discrepancies. A complaint for dishonesty, misconduct, and offenses involving moral turpitude was filed before local authorities.
“Our recommendation on the DILG, SK Chair Tupas will be charged criminally with direct bribery and violation of RA 3019 for demanding payment of an SOP kickback,” SILG Remulla said.
“She will be charged with falsification of public documents for falsifying the signature of their SK secretary and the subject resolution. The case will be filed with the office of the Ombudsman.”
Following hearings, Tupas was penalized with a six-month suspension by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Makati. The DILG said it will pursue criminal charges for direct bribery, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019), and falsification of public documents.
In a separate case, Yabut was found administratively liable for misconduct after forged signatures were discovered in documents related to a barangay Halloween project. One of the listed signatories was reportedly abroad at the time the documents were signed.
Yabut admitted that the official did not personally sign the documents, but said approval was based on prior authorization. Investigators, however, found multiple signatures to have been falsified.
“Ang rekomendasyon ng DILG, ang SK Chair Yabut, kasama ang SK Treasurer Mapoy will be charged criminally with falsification of public documents for falsifying the purchase request and SK resolution.”
The Makati City council imposed a three-month suspension on Yabut, adopted on April 6, 2026. The DILG recommended filing criminal charges against Yabut and an SK treasurer for falsification of public documents.
Remulla said the cases show that corruption has reached even the youth sector and warned that the government would not tolerate such practices.
“Wala po kaming sinisino kung maliit na barangay yan o maliit na mayaman na barangay, kung mahirap man ng SK chairman o mayaman man ng SK chairman, hindi kami namimili. Ito'y clear display of corruption at the lowest at the smallest unit of the DILG,” he said.
Remulla added that while he favors structural reforms or even the abolition of the SK system, such changes would require constitutional amendments beyond the DILG’s authority.
The DILG said it will assist in the investigation and prosecution of the cases, which may eventually be elevated to the Sandiganbayan if probable cause is established.
