Faelnar hits Rep. Cuenco on “cash gift” from Palace

The president of the Association of Barangay Councils in Cebu City criticized south district Rep. Antonio Cuenco for admitting he received “cash gifts” from Malacañang but later took back his words saying he was just joking.

Guadalupe barangay captain Eugenio “Jing Jing” Faelnar told dyLA that what Cuenco did was improper for a congressman.

“Dili husto ang iyang gihimo,” Faelnar said, adding although that he was not surprised by Cuenco’s action because he was once a victim of the lawmaker’s fickle-mindedness.

According to Faelnar, Cuenco told him before that he is no longer eligible for reelection but later changed his position.

Faelnar, who is a political ally of Cuenco, said what he could not understand is why Cuenco had to hide if in deed he received P200,000 from Malacañang. He surmised that Cuenco may be afraid that the barangay captains would ask campaign funds from him

However, the ex-officio member of the City Council assured Cuenco that he is not asking for campaign funds from the congressman.

“I don’t care og iyang tagaan maayo ug dili pod maayo sab,” he said.

Cuenco admitted on Friday that he received an envelope containing cash during a breakfast meeting in Malacañang Thursday.

According to Cuenco, he received P200,000 from a person whom he allegedly did not know when he was about to leave after the meeting called by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But he made a complete turnaround of his admission later in the afternoon, claiming that he was only joking when he made the admission.

Cuenco was among the 190 congressmen who are loyal supporters of Arroyo summoned to Malacañang. The other Cebuano congressmen all denied having received cash gifts. — Fred P. Languido/LPM