₱27 Million for a Seminar in Thailand? SK Must Answer to the Filipino Youth

At a time when the entire nation is outraged over corruption in flood control projects, with protests happening left and right, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation’s decision to spend over ₱27 million for an HIV awareness seminar in Thailand feels like a slap in the face to struggling communities. Led by Juliana Ibay, a councilor from Manila, this overseas trip raises serious questions not just about budgeting, but about values.

A Seminar Abroad, While Our Youth Stay Behind

Let’s be honest. HIV awareness is a noble cause. But flying 600 SK officials to another country, staying in hotels, eating buffet meals, and attending foreign-led talks while millions of Filipino youth remain uninformed and underserved feels like a missed opportunity wrapped in luxury.

Couldn’t this seminar have been held in Manila, Quezon City, Cebu, or Davao? In barangay gyms or university halls? With Filipino doctors, advocates, and survivors who know our culture, our language, and our struggles?

Instead, the SK chose a path that looks more like a study tour for the privileged than a grassroots campaign for change.

What Should Filipinos Think?

Filipinos should see this act for what it is, a warning sign. If our youth leaders, who are supposed to represent the voice of the people, are already spending like this, what happens when they rise to higher office?

This is not just about one trip. It’s about a mindset. A mindset that says, “We deserve comfort, even if the community gets crumbs.” It’s about the early signs of entitlement, the kind that turns idealistic leaders into the very buwaya they once swore to fight.

We should ask:

Whose voices were heard in planning this trip?

Was there a public consultation?

Did they explore cheaper, local options first?

Why weren’t Filipino experts invited to lead the seminar here?

And most of all, sa panahon pa talaga ngayon na karamihan sa mga kababayan natin ay nalulubog pa rin sa kahirapan at sa baha, hindi ba sila nahiya?

Sa panahon pa talaga ngayon na buong sambayanan ay galit na galit dahil sa korapsyon, kaya kaliwa’t kanan ang mga protesta. Hindi pa ba sila natuto? Aren’t the youth supposed to be the hope of the nation, but not by wasting the people's money.

Sorry to say, but you are completely disconnected from the community and from the real problems that young people are facing.

While youth are dealing with mental health struggles, unemployment, unsafe streets, and lack of access to basic healthcare, this kind of spending shows a serious gap between leadership and lived experience.

People are losing homes to floods, struggling to buy food, and barely making it through the week. Yet here we are, watching millions spent on a foreign seminar that could have been done locally.

Mayroon dapat managot dito.

Not the young attendees who were simply invited, but those who planned, approved, and signed off on this budget. Those who had the power to say, “Let’s do this in the Philippines instead.” Those who chose prestige over practicality.

Will They Become HIV Experts?

Let’s be real. Pagdating ba nila dito sa bansa natin, magiging eksperto na ba sila sa HIV?

Magiging speakers ba sila sa kanilang community?

Hindi naman, di ba?

They will be informed, yes, but being informed is not the same as being qualified to speak on such a sensitive and technical topic. HIV education requires medical knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and emotional depth. It’s not something you master in a few days abroad. And it’s not something you should speak about without proper training and lived experience.

So what happens now? Will they go back to their barangays and hold forums? Will they train others? Or will the knowledge stay in their notebooks, while the rest of the youth remain in the dark?

“Two Birds in One Stone”?

In an interview, Councilor Ibay said the trip was like “hitting two birds in one stone” because it had both HIV awareness and cultural immersion in Thai culture. But why do we need to learn Thai culture first?

Why is that a priority when our own communities are facing poverty, floods, and lack of access to basic health education?

If this seminar was done here in the Philippines, it probably wouldn’t cost millions. It could have helped more youth, reached more barangays, and supported local experts who understand our own culture and problems.

And really? ano naman ang kinalaman ng HIV awareness sa turismo ng Thailand?

HIV is a public health issue, not a travel opportunity. Cultural exposure is good, but it should never come before the urgent needs of our own people. Especially when the money used comes from public funds.

What Could ₱27 Million Have Done Instead?

I know that HIV cases in the country are really serious. Every day, more young Filipinos are diagnosed, and many still don’t have access to proper treatment or support, and they are dying.

But instead of spending millions on travel, that money could have been used to build more HIV hubs in provinces and cities where services are lacking.

It could have helped buy life-saving antiretroviral medicines, fund testing kits, train local health workers, and launch awareness campaigns in schools and barangays.

It could have saved lives not just filled passports.

Advocacy Must Be Grounded in Reality

I am also an HIV awareness advocate. I’ve shared before that I’ve lost friends to this illness, and I personally witnessed how hard it was for them to access HIV hubs and life-saving medicine. I still know people today who, after being diagnosed, remain unsure about what will happen to their lives. Some continue to unknowingly spread the virus because they don’t have access to proper HIV facilities and support.

I believe in education, compassion, and action. But advocacy must be rooted in humility and service. It must reach the people, not just the privileged few who can afford to fly abroad.

This act by the SK Federation feels more like a performance than a solution. It’s a photo op, not a movement. And it risks turning public service into a travel club funded by taxpayers.

A Call to Young Leaders

To the SK officials, you are not just representatives. You are symbols of hope. The youth look to you for honesty, creativity, and courage. Don’t waste that trust. Don’t trade it for hotel breakfasts and foreign seminars.

To the Filipino people, let’s demand transparency. Let’s ask for receipts, reports, and results. Let’s remind our leaders that every peso spent must serve the people, not their passports.

And to future leaders, let this be a lesson. True leadership is not about where you travel. It’s about who you lift up.