Also 4th district Rep. Salimbangon: Raymond faces disqualification complaint

CEBU, Philippines — Just five days before the May 12 midterm elections, two prominent Cebu officials are facing disqualification cases for alleged violations of election laws involving the distribution of government aid during the campaign period.

In Cebu City, a petition has been filed against Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, while in the fourth district, Congresswoman Janice Salimbangon is facing a second disqualification complaint alongside several allied candidates.

The petition against Garcia was filed by Analiza Pilunes Maglasang. One of her lawyers, Attorney Armando Ligutan, told The Freeman that the complaint was filed online on Tuesday and is related to the distribution of sacks of rice to different barangays in the city.

The complainant stated that on March 27, 2024, the Cebu City Council issued a resolution placing the city’s mountain barangays under a state of calamity due to El Niño.

In response, the Cebu City government, through the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO), procured sacks of rice to be distributed to the residents of the affected barangays.

They alleged that Garcia authorized the disbursement of funds for victims of El Niño to purchase 166,600 sacks of rice amounting to a total of P49 million.

On March 11, 2025, the complainant stated that Garcia led the distribution of these sacks of rice—purchased by CCDRRMO—to the constituents of Barangay Duljo-Fatima, Cebu City. They emphasized that Barangay Duljo-Fatima was not among the mountain barangays declared under a state of calamity.

“Respondent appeared during the activity. He made sure his presence was known and unmistakable. He gave a speech. Photographs of the activity show how the respondent participated in the giving of these sacks of rice,” the complaint further reads.

The document included actual photos taken during the distribution.

The complaint highlighted that while the Commission on Elections (Comelec) may exempt social welfare and development projects from the prohibition under Section 261(v)(2) of the Omnibus Election Code, this exemption is conditional. Officials are not allowed to be present during the distribution to prevent it from being used as a campaign tool.

The complainant further stated that the distribution continued even after the campaign period began, and Garcia allegedly continued to be present.

“Worse, at the site (where the Local Government Unit (LGU)'s personnel were giving sacks of rice to the people), one could see election paraphernalia: posters and tarpaulins of respondent campaigning for mayor,” they said.

They also claimed that Garcia continued to be present during other distributions of dole-outs, as reported in the news. In addition, the complainant accused Garcia of using LGU properties—such as chairs, buses, and other assets of Cebu City’s LGU—to further promote his candidacy.

According to the petition, the complaint is based on the Omnibus Election Code, which penalizes the disbursement of public funds for social welfare and development projects during the campaign period.

“The reason is not hard to fathom. Incumbent officials tend to use the people’s own money to promote their own candidacy,” reads an excerpt from their statement.

They argued that it contradicts the aim of holding a free and fair election, which may be undermined when a public official allegedly “uses” the people’s money to “influence” the election.

“Whether these candidates truly have the skill to lead is irrelevant. The unscrupulous only ensure that they appear skillful. Worse, they use the people’s money to make themselves appear deserving,” they added.

Their statement also cited Section 261(v)(2) of the Omnibus Election Code, which prohibits the use of public funds for the less fortunate during the campaign period.

Based on this, Maglasang’s camp accused Garcia of violating the law by utilizing public funds, goods, or relief during the campaign period for his “personal interest.”

They added that the actual distribution was allegedly arranged to ensure Garcia’s presence so that he could be “associated” with the activity.

“For so blatantly doing the preceding and flouting the law, he should be disqualified from running for the mayoralty of Cebu City,” they also raised.

In another statement, Ligutan further warned all government officials against vote-buying schemes ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. According to him, they are determined to go after officials involved in such schemes and have deployed hundreds of lawyers and paralegals throughout the city to monitor the situation.

“This (is) a FAIR WARNING to all our government officials—do not use government resources in these elections. We will do everything we can to prosecute and have you disqualified. The full force of the law must be brought to bear on you,” Ligutan said.

In a separate interview, Mayor Garcia questioned the release of the documents to the media, saying they were unsigned, which meant they had not been officially filed. He added that without signatures, the documents remain a “scrap of paper.”

Despite this, Garcia said it is a political “gimmick” and politically motivated.

“It only shows our strength on the ground and in the campaign. I mean this has to come out nga hapit na jud ang elections? Grabe naman sad,” said Garcia.

He added that the complaint emerged just as survey results showed he was reportedly leading.

“That’s how our opponents will play it. Sagdi lang ang tinuod nga hukom karon mang lunes (Election Day),” said Garcia.

Disqualification vs. Salimbangon

Meanwhile, over in the fourth district of Cebu, Rep. Janice Salimbangon is facing a second disqualification case—this time from Ellen Mae Esgana, a government employee under the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Santa Fe.

Esgana formally filed a disqualification case before the Comelec on May 5, 2025 against Salimbangon and several others for alleged violations of Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code, which prohibits vote-buying and other acts of electoral manipulation.

Aside from Salimbangon, the complaint includes Board Member candidates Jenny Zata and Atty. Nelson Mondigo, mayoral candidate Joannes Paulo Esgana, and Sangguniang Bayan candidates Rogelito “Bobby” Cabrera, Cruz Baragat, Dante Escarlan, and Edmundo Cabrera.

According to the complaint, the respondents used the government-funded Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) to influence voters and solicit electoral support.

The AICS program, managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), is intended to provide aid to disadvantaged and vulnerable Filipinos through financial support for education, health, transportation, and burial assistance.

However, on April 23, 2025, the complainant said that the said respondent candidates were present during a distribution activity held at Brgy. Talisay Covered Court, Santa Fe, where they allegedly induced voters to support their candidacies.

The complaint cites a letter dated April 11, 2025, from the DSWD Regional Director seeking logistical support from the municipal government but explicitly excluding political involvement, in line with Comelec’s Memorandum 25-01080 issued on February 20, 2025.

That memorandum clarified that while AICS is exempted from the election ban, candidates are strictly prohibited from being present at distribution events.

In her petition, Esgana seeks a declaration of probable cause to charge the respondents with violating the election code’s prohibition on vote-buying and the immediate disqualification of the respondents from running in the May 12, 2025 elections.

“This case is about protecting the integrity of our democratic process. No one should use the poverty and vulnerability of our people as a campaign strategy. Government aid must serve its rightful purpose—not as a currency for votes,” says Esgana.

The complaint brings to light an alarming misuse of public welfare programs for political advantage, reinforcing calls for stricter enforcement of election laws and greater accountability for those in power.

Earlier, three complainants—Arl Dewey Maluya, Mary Ann Olaver, and Ruth Surgaol from the municipality of Daanbantayan—alleged that the congresswoman, Daanbantayan mayoralty aspirant Atty. Gilbert Arrabis, Provincial Board Member aspirants Nelson Mondigo and Jenny Armamento, Daanbantayan vice mayoralty candidate Jose “Jun” De Leon, and eight others running for Daanbantayan municipal councilors, violated the Omnibus Election Code, which prohibits any form of vote-buying.

Sought for comments, Salimbangon said that this is another political move from the other camp.

“This is another desperate move. The Comelec will just junk their complaint,” says Salimbangon, who is seeking her last term as congresswoman.

“I am confident nga kanang disqualification cases nga gi file sa akoa, ug sa akong mga kauban, ma dismiss ra na. Klaro kaayo na nga political harrassment,” Salimbangon added. — (FREEMAN)