Mabilog denies CESPEDIC noncompliance claims

By Mariela Angella Oladive and Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog on Wednesday, Jan. 7, denied allegations that her office failed to comply with requirements for the release of the Coordinated Executive Sangguniang Panlungsod Efforts for the Development of Iloilo City budget, or CESPEDIC.

Mabilog said the executive branch never clearly specified the necessary documents for the release of the funds.

Three members of her staff have remained unpaid since July 2025 due to the lack of approved contracts of service signed by Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu.

Mayor’s spokesperson Joy Fantilaga-Gorzal said Tuesday, Jan. 6, that Mabilog’s CESPEDIC budget had not been endorsed because her office allegedly failed to submit required documents.

Fantilaga-Gorzal said the documents include a personal data sheet, clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation, a drug test result, and a Bureau of Internal Revenue registration form.

She added that the City Administrator’s Office could not forward the request to the mayor without complete documents, emphasizing that contracts cannot take effect without full compliance.

Endorsement and signing will proceed immediately once all requirements are submitted, she said.

In a Jan. 7 interview, Mabilog said her office had been coordinating with the mayor’s office since September.

“The sad part is that they never clearly disclosed what we were required to comply with,” Mabilog said.

She said that when her office first submitted documents, they were rerouted to the City Legal Office, which she said indicated that the CESPEDIC budget should already be released.

Mabilog said she has receipts and records of all submissions and claimed that some official communications were not accepted, while one document was allegedly altered after receipt.

“We have been compliant, and it was their office that failed to respond to our Dec. 23 letter requesting a written, step-by-step procedure for processing contracts of service under the CESPEDIC program, including the offices involved, required documents, and prescribed timelines,” she said.

Mabilog noted that under the Legislative Support Project, the common practice was to sign contracts of service before submitting individual requirements.

“They did not inform us that those were the requirements, so we were unable to submit them,” she said.

Despite the delay, Mabilog said her office remains willing to comply with all necessary requirements to move the process forward.

Under City Regulation Ordinance No. 2007-029, each Sangguniang Panlungsod member’s office is entitled to a monthly allocation of PHP 92,000 through the CESPEDIC program, which includes funding for personnel salaries.

While funds are allocated to councilors, the processing and release of CESPEDIC budgets, including approval of contracts of service, are handled by the Office of the City Mayor.

With the city’s books set to close on Jan. 12, any unreleased CESPEDIC funds will revert to savings, preventing the payment of her staff’s salaries.

INCOMPLETE DOCUMENTS

City Administrator Melchor Tan, also on Wednesday, reaffirmed that Mabilog’s office had submitted incomplete documents.

In a statement, Tan said the CESPEDIC budget request had not been endorsed to the mayor’s office because the necessary documentation for job order and contract of service personnel was not submitted in full.

He explained that his office can only endorse requests to the mayor once all required documents are complete.

Once Mabilog’s office complies, the request will be immediately forwarded to the mayor for signature and implementation, he added.

In a Dec. 19 letter to Mabilog, Tan said her request for CESPEDIC contract of service personnel had already been accommodated but emphasized that appointments can only take effect once all documents are submitted and proper protocols are followed.

“Upon submission of the requirements, we will give endorsement to officially take effect the start of duty. Also, we cannot retroact job order or contract of service since the request [was] just recently approved or enacted,” Tan wrote.

He cited the case of Vice Mayor Julie Grace “Love-Love” Baronda, who submitted her request in October 2025. Her contracts were promptly approved after all requirements were completed.

“[This] shows that the process is policy-based and not personality-driven,” he said.

Tan also disclosed that on Dec. 12, 2025, Baronda requested additional contracts of service for two personnel, but the request could not be endorsed due to incomplete requirements.

The vice mayor was formally notified twice of the required documents before her request could be approved.

“The Iloilo City Government assures that the same policies are being applied to all officials, emphasizing that strict adherence to procedures and legal requirements is being enforced to ensure the proper, transparent, and responsible use of city funds,” Tan said.