Cebu 4th District Rep. Sun Shimura dismissed anonymous social media allegations that political motives delayed student financial assistance in Daanbantayan, maintaining that the delay resulted solely from bureaucratic and administrative procedures.
Shimura explained that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) guidelines require complete student records, noting that processing was stalled because many submitted applications lacked necessary information like middle names.
The congressman urged the public and social media administrators to verify information before posting, warning that spreading unverified claims can lead to unfair or baseless accusations against individuals and institutions.
AMID an anonymous online complaint alleging that the release of student financial assistance in Daanbantayan is being deliberately delayed due to post-election politics, Cebu 4th District Rep. Sun Shimura has dismissed the claims, attributing the delay to bureaucratic processes.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on June 26, 2026, Shimura addressed the anonymous post published a day earlier on the “CTU (Cebu Technological University) Confessions” page, which expressed frustration over the delayed release of financial assistance for public tertiary students in the district.
The anonymous post alleged that Shimura was prioritizing students from neighboring extension campuses and suggested that the delay was politically motivated following the outcome of the elections.
“Seriously, Sun Shimura! Is your anger toward CTU-Daanbantayan Campus really that huge? Where is the financial assistance? How come you are so good to other extension campuses, but you didn’t prioritize giving it first to your very own municipality? It’s hard to believe if you say there is no budget. Just wait, Cong. Sun Shimura, there are other elections coming up — we’ll see. You are being so unfair! You are already crossed out by CTU-Daanbantayan,” the anonymous confession wrote in Cebuano.
Shimura’s stepfather, former mayor Vic Loot, lost his mayoral bid to Gilbert Arrabis Jr. in the 2025 local elections in Daanbantayan.
SunStar Cebu reached out to Shimura’s office on Friday, July 3, for details regarding the assistance program but had yet to receive a response as of press time.
In his statement, Shimura acknowledged the frustration of students awaiting the release of financial aid but urged the public not to immediately assume malicious intent behind the delay.
He said the delay stemmed from compliance with documentary requirements and administrative procedures.
“The release of financial assistance involves processes, validation and coordination with agencies like DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) , so delays can happen for different reasons,” Shimura explained.
According to Shimura, some applications required corrections before they could be processed because the submitted records were incomplete.
“In most cases, submissions needed to be corrected because some student records were incomplete — for example, some lists did not include students’ middle names, which are required under DSWD’s documentation guidelines before processing can proceed,” Shimura added.
The congressman also urged social media users and page administrators to verify information before posting it on public platforms.
“We also encourage the administrators of social media pages to verify the accuracy and validity of the information they publish before posting. This will help prevent the spread of misinformation and avoid unfair or baseless accusations against individuals or institutions,” the statement read. / Veejay Catadman, UP Cebu Intern
