The Sangguniang Kabataan Federation chairman in Dumaguete City is allegedly in trouble with her SK council in Barangay Batinguel where she is the elected chairman, and in her ex-oficio membership in the city council.

Batinguel SK chairman Karissa Faye Tolentino had been chosen by her co-chairmen from 30 barangays to represent them in the city council. As such, she became an ex-oficio member of the city council and is receiving the same salary and other benefits as that of elected city councilors.

Tolentino, however, reportedly seldom attends or had stopped performing her functions as SK barangay chairman of Batinguel, prompting her SK council and the Batinguel barangay council to raise questions about her status.

Tolentino was reportedly banking on the opinion of the Department of Interior and Local Government regional office that her post as SK chairman of the barangay is deemed vacated and the No. 1 SK councilor, Raymond Lazaga, automatically succeeds her. This is also allegedly provided in the SK Constitution and by-laws.

However, former DILG Secretary Jose Lina said otherwise. In his opinion, Lina said Tolentino's SK post in the barangay is a continuing requirement for her to represent the SK federation of the city.

This means that if she is declared absent without official leave by the barangay council for abandoning her post, Tolentino may also lose her ex-oficio seat in the city council.

The same situation is experienced by Association of Barangay Captains president Harrison Gonzales, who, however, never abandoned his post as Poblacion 1 (Tinago) punong barangay after his election as Liga president.

Tolentino earlier said the varying opinions of DILG Region 7 and Lina will lead to conflicts down the ranks.

However, Tolentino was quoted as saying that she will not abandon her SK post in the barangay.*JG

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