THERE was no politics behind the giving of cash assistance to several barangays in Cebu City amid the election season, Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said.
Garcia said in a press conference on Monday, March 24, 2025, that at least 61 out of 80 barangays have received their P5 million cash assistance from the City Government.
However, the mayor dismissed allegations that he has been favoring barangays that are in support of his political campaign, especially that he is running for a mayoral seat in the May 2025 polls.
“No playing favorites gyud ning akoa (I don’t play favorites)…Ang atong gipanghatagan walay pili, even candidates nga naa sa pikas nidagan kay moingon na sad na sila nga namolitika ta,” Garcia said.
(We have no preferences among the recipients; aid was distributed even to candidates from opposing parties, because if we had not done so, they would accuse me of politicking.)
However, Garcia emphasized that the barangay captains must process their project proposals and utilization reports of previous financial assistance before March 28, which marks the start of the election ban on fund disbursements.
Garcia reminded that in their utilization of the cash assistance, barangay captains should not use it on its employees.
He said that the P5 million cash aid is intended only for infrastructures and barangay projects.
Garcia reportedly said the City Government has allocated P400 million from the 2025 general funds as financial assistance to each barangay. The funds are intended to support various proposed barangay projects and community programs.
Aside from dismissing the allegations of him politicking out from the barangay financial assistance, the mayor urged city councilors, who accused him of electioneering through rice distribution in some barangays, to point out the names of those assisting in the distribution so that he can differentiate whether they are employees or volunteers.
Concerns about potential electioneering were raised by Councilors Jocelyn Pesquera and Mary Ann de los Santos during a regular session of the Cebu City Council last Wednesday, March 19.
They questioned the legality of the rice distribution in Barangays Duljo-Fatima and Quiot Pardo, citing a purchase order that allegedly showed the rice came from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) Fund, which is intended for relief operations during a declared state of calamity.
However, Garcia previously said that the rice distribution came from the Department of Social Welfare and Services under its social preparedness and not from the LDRRM.
Pesquera and de los Santos also raised concerns about a video footage allegedly showing Garcia at a distribution site where individuals wore shirts bearing the name of his political party, Kusug.
Garcia said during the conference that it would be difficult to differentiate between City Hall employees who assisted during the rice distribution from his volunteers and supporters.
If the concerned councilors would pursue their allegations, Garcia urged them to mention names in order to differentiate who are employees and volunteers.
“Let them name names because it’s so difficult to distinguish employees from volunteers and supporters,” he said.
“Check your mouth before you open it. I mean dili nato ipatigbabaw bitaw ang atoang political interest,” he added. / JPS