Raymond Garcia defends barangay subsidies amid politicization claims

Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia | CDN Photo/ Emmariel Ares

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia refuted allegations on Monday of political bias in the distribution of financial assistance to barangays.

He asserted that the P5-million subsidy for each barangay was being released without favoritism, regardless of political affiliations.

In a press conference on March 24, Garcia said that out of the city’s 80 barangays, 61 have already received the financial aid, with 22 more being included in the latest tranche of releases.

“Wala gyud niy pili. No playing favorites. Even those who are running under the opposition party received the subsidy. Ang pagserbisyo sa publiko walay pagpili,” he said.

(No one was chosen. No playing favorites. Even those who are running under the opposition party received the subsidy. We don’t choose in serving the public.)

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This comes amid criticisms that the subsidy was being used as a political tool to sway barangay leaders ahead of the 2025 elections. He dismissed these claims, calling them baseless.

“Well, they are entitled to their own opinion and they are also entitled to their own entertainment. Pero you know, action speaks louder than words. You can see in our assistance distribution that there is no politics involved,” he added.

Garcia is a mayoral aspirant in the 2025 midterm elections, running under his party, Kusug-Panaghiusa, with lawyer Joey Daluz as his running mate. He is competing against former mayor Michael Rama, City Councilor Nestor Archival, and Yogi Filemon Ruiz.

Strict compliance with requirements

Garcia stressed that barangays must comply with the necessary requirements before they could receive financial aid.

The requirements include a project proposal aligned with the Local Government Code, a barangay resolution, a utilization report of the 2023 subsidy, and an affidavit of the undertaking.

Additionally, barangays must submit a certificate of non-utilization of funds, if applicable.

He further warned that those who fail to comply before March 28 would have to wait until after the elections due to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ban on the disbursement of public funds.

“The funds are available, but barangays must do their part. I cannot process the documents for them. They need to submit their proposals and comply with my executive order’s guidelines,” Garcia said.

The P400-million total budget for the subsidy program is sourced from the city’s 2025 General Fund, ensuring financial support for all barangays willing to comply with the requirements.

Rice distribution from calamity funds questioned

While Garcia defends the barangay subsidy program, his administration faces mounting scrutiny from the Cebu City Council over the alleged misuse of calamity funds for rice distribution.

Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, in a privilege speech during the regular session on March 19, accused the executive department of using the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) to procure rice and distribute it in non-calamity areas, raising concerns about transparency and legality.

“This is not just about rice. This is about dignity, transparency, and the proper use of public funds,” De los Santos said.

She cited a March 11 incident where sacks of rice were reportedly distributed in Barangays Duljo-Fatima and Basak Pardo, despite no state of calamity being declared in these areas.

A video presented during the session showed sacks of rice being unloaded haphazardly from a truck, which de los Santos likened to dumping construction materials.

“The way the rice was dumped reflects the disregard for proper protocols and raises suspicions about the true purpose of this distribution,” she added.

Political maneuver

However, Garcia denied the allegations. He called the accusations a political maneuver.

According to reports, Garcia explained that the rice distributed in Barangays Duljo-Fatima and Quiot Pardo came from the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) under its Social Preparedness program and not from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) Fund.

Garcia said the rice distributed this year was procured using the 2025 DSWS budget.

He said the purchase order cited by the councilors referred to rice bought in November 2024 under the LDRRM Fund for separate relief and recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, DSWS head Portia Basmayor said that the rice distribution was part of the agency’s regular food pack distribution and did not require a calamity declaration.

She said the program aimed to assist indigent residents under its social preparedness initiative.