Pinamungajan mayor slams governor’s claims vs toilet project

CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — After Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro inspected the controversial ₱1.153-million public restroom,  Pinamungajan town Mayor Glenn Baricuatro stood firm in defending the project, and lashed back at the governor’s allegations as “unfounded and baseless.”

On Sunday (October 19), the governor visited the project site of the “All-Gender Public Comfort Room” located in Poblacion, Pinamungajan, after it went viral on social media for its alleged overpricing.

In her video posted on Facebook, the governor said she found the project’s cost questionable, criticizing the toilet as even more expensive than a Pag-IBIG social house unit.

“Ang atoa man gud ani, kwarta ni’s katawhan. Di’ ni nato usik-usikan,” the governor said during her visit, where she also checked the tarpaulin posted at the site showing the project details, cost, and its supposed completion date of 20 August 2025.

She questioned why is it that, as of October, the project remains unfinished, noting that the mayor himself admitted in an earlier interview that the comfort room was only “75 percent completed.”

The governor further alleged that the project’s contractor, Dinah RBS Construction & Supply Inc., was only “used” as the license-holder, and that the actual builder was allegedly a municipal councilor and a close friend of the mayor.

In response, the town’s mayor released an official statement clarifying that the project was fully funded, approved, and monitored by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“To set the record straight, this project is duly funded, approved and closely monitored by the DILG,” the mayor said.

He explained that the ₱1.153-million fund was granted to the local government as a subsidy after the municipality was recognized as a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardee.

“Hence, this is not taken from our local fund,” the mayor stressed, refuting claims that local taxpayers’ money was used.

According to Mayor Baricuatro, DILG provided a list of eligible projects where the ₱1.153 million could be allocated, and the municipality opted for the construction of an all-gender public comfort room.

He said all required documents—including the plan, specifications, and cost estimates—were submitted and approved by both the provincial and regional DILG offices.

“It has undergone and successfully passed a two-level review by the DILG, that is by the Provincial Office and Regional Offices of DILG, respectively,” the mayor added.

The mayor also criticized the governor’s decision to air her concerns on social media rather than directly coordinating with the DILG or the municipal government.

“Facebook is not the appropriate forum to raise such issues, as doing so may only serve to provoke, mislead, or unduly influence the public,” the mayor continued.

The mayor maintained that the governor’s allegations were “entirely unfounded and baseless,” dismissing them as politically charged and misleading.