Vice Mayor Denies Ghost Employee Claims, Cites Hiring Transparency

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Gerome Dalipe IV

ILOILO CITY Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon has denied allegations that his office employs so-called ghost employees, describing the accusations as baseless and politically motivated.

“There is no truth to the rumors that I am appointing ghost employees in my office,” Ganzon said in a statement on Monday, April 7, issued in Hiligaynon.

He emphasized that all individuals hired by his office follow standard government procedures, with clearly defined job orders and mandatory daily time records before receiving their salaries.

“These documents are used by the City Accounting Office to process payments, making it impossible for any ghost employee to slip through,” he said.

Ganzon asserted that his conscience is clear and that he has not misused public funds or abused his position.

“My public service is grounded in truth, clean governance, and integrity,” he added.

The vice mayor also criticized efforts to drag his family into the issue, citing clear political motives behind the allegations.

“These politically motivated attacks aim to destroy my credibility as a leader who continues to be recognized by Ilonggos as a genuine public servant,” Ganzon said.

He urged the public to remain discerning and not fall for paid political propaganda intended to discredit him.

Ganzon is running for his final term in the 2025 midterm elections under Team Uswag.

He is being challenged by former City Councilor Love Baronda, sister of Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne Baronda.

While Ganzon did not directly name those behind the allegations, his statement came following the release of a sponsored press statement by a group calling itself Ilonggos for Positive Change Movement.

The group, whose members have not been publicly identified, cited a 2019 complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas accusing Ganzon of appointing several family members to positions in the city government.

The complaint alleged that these individuals, including his children and relatives, received salaries without performing official duties.

CONTROVERSY NOT NEW

This is not the first time Ganzon has been involved in political controversy.

In 2009, while serving as a city councilor, he accused Mayor Jerry Treñas of being behind a break-in at his family home in Arevalo.

Ganzon claimed that masked men armed with high-powered firearms barged into their home, traumatizing his daughter.

The incident was not officially reported to the police.

He accused Treñas of maintaining a private army and vowed not to support the mayor’s 2010 election bid.

Ganzon also linked the harassment to his proposal to establish a city college aimed at helping underprivileged students.

The proposal was later rejected by the city council, prompting him to label the body as “anti-poor.”

Treñas denied the accusations, calling them “a nice joke,” and said he had no knowledge of the alleged break-in or the location of Ganzon’s residence.

“If that incident really happened, it should be investigated,” Treñas said at the time.

“His accusations are just his imagination.”