PINAMUNGAJAN Mayor Glenn Baricuatro defended the P1.153 million public toilet project in his town, saying it was properly funded and approved by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
In a statement sent to the media on Monday, October 20, 2025, Baricuatro clarified that the project was financed through a DILG subsidy granted to Pinamungajan as a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardee, not from local government funds.
He said the “all-gender public comfort room” project underwent and passed two levels of DILG review -- at the provincial and regional offices, affirming that there was “nothing irregular in the costing or pricing of the project.”
Baricuatro also criticized Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s social media post questioning the project, saying Facebook “is not the appropriate forum to raise such issues” and that her remarks were “unfounded and baseless.”
“I refuse to be distracted by theatrics or unfounded claims. My focus remains on serving the public with integrity and dedication,” a portion of his statement read.
Mayor Baricuatro and the governor are relatives from opposing political parties. The issue about the project began on October 13, 2025, when the governor said she first learned of its cost through a Facebook post and later questioned it publicly.
On October 16, both officials took to social media — the governor demanding a breakdown of the project’s expenses, and the mayor defending it as a DILG-funded initiative. (CDF)