MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will review policies on government-funded travel for local government officials, including members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.

Remulla said there is a need to reassess the rules to ensure that official travel funded by government money has a legitimate purpose.

“Maybe it’s time to review the policy to ensure that all travel, if government-funded, is legitimate and serves a specific purpose,” Remulla said in a media interview.

His statement followed criticism of SK officials from Manila who posted on social media about their “capacity development” and “international benchmarking” activities in Thailand, which were reportedly paid for using SK funds. Netizens questioned the trip and described it as a junket.

Remulla said the DILG will issue a memorandum circular clarifying the use of public funds for travel, including rules on where funds may be sourced and what clearances are required.

He added that during his time as Cavite governor, he did not allow overseas training programs. “Training and capacity-building abroad, I don’t think that’s necessary,” he said.

Remulla also said the controversy was worsened by the way the trip was flaunted online. “What surprised me most was the way they openly flaunted their good time, posting about it repeatedly,” he said.