DAVAO City Councilor and candidate for congressman in the Third District Wilberto Al-ag clarified that no vote-buying occurred in Brgy. Bantol of Marilog District, Davao City, following the viral video showing the councilor in a confrontation with the barangay chairman.
Al-ag told reporters on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod that they were only assisting the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in goods distribution. He emphasized that receiving goods from them did not mean that the recipients would automatically vote for them.
“Katong pag adto namo didto nanghatag mi, wala man mi niingon kung makadawat mo ani Al-ag na mo diretso, kung makadawat mo ani Nograles na diritso. Ang tawo ang magdesisyon (When we went there, we distributed goods but we didn’t say that if they receive this they would need to vote for Al-ag or to the Nograles. It’s up to the people to decide),” he said.
He added that they did not directly distribute the assistance to the people but only assisted the DSWD by lending their vehicle and providing water and food for the beneficiaries. He clarified that they did not receive any budget from the DSWD and were merely assisting the people availing themselves of the department's services.
Al-ag claimed that they were harassed by Barangay Captain Edwin Fiel, despite the event being held in a private area. He said he had initially communicated with the captain to use the covered court, but their request was denied, prompting them to hold the event on private land.
He explained that they were distributing goods to the barangay residents, and about 1,200 people were on the list, but only nearly 500 received a pack. He alleged that Fiel prevented his constituents from attending the event to avoid receiving the assistance.
Al-ag further said that while he was addressing the residents, he was approached by Fiel, who asked them to stop the event. He insisted that Fiel's actions were politically motivated.
Al-ag also denied that the activity caused heavy traffic, claiming that if it had caused any traffic inconvenience, Fiel would not have been able to reach the venue.
He, however, acknowledged there was slight congestion, lasting for about 10 minutes when they were unloading items from the truck.
The councilor said they would not pursue legal action against Fiel over the alleged harassment, as no major incident occurred. He revealed that Fiel was reprimanded by the police for his actions.
For his part, Barangay Captain Fiel said he had no issue with the use of the barangay's covered court. His concern stemmed from the letter, which stated that the court would be used on February 8, but Al-ag's team visited the barangay on February 23, 2025.
“Wala sila nagpahibalo maskin kanang tigpahibalo nila nga muanhi diri sa opisina, bisan verbal lang gyud kay ang akoa lang man unta kung nakabalo mi padad-an nako og barangay police didto nga mumando sa traffic kay pertent trapika,” he said in a radio interview on Bombo Radyo Davao on Monday, February 24, 2025.
(They didn’t inform us, even through their messenger. They could have come here to the office, and told us even just verbally. What I wanted was if we had known, I could have sent barangay police there to direct the traffic because the traffic was really heavy).
Fiel emphasized that he would not refuse the assistance as his constituents needed it, and given that it was funded by the people. He said he went to the venue not to cause a commotion but to monitor the traffic situation.
He then urged all politicians to follow the proper procedures, especially during the election period. He said that if politicians wanted to distribute money to the people, they should do so discreetly, as the people of Bantol would not tolerate such overt actions. He expressed that they want the public to make the right decision, as doing so would lead to the development of their community.
To recall, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) imposed Resolution 11060, which bans the distribution of assistance by the DSWD during the election period.
However, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian requested an exemption for 28 DSWD projects, which Comelec Chairman George Garcia stipulated must not involve any candidates or politicians during the distribution of aid, in whatever form or nature. RGP