Election frontrunners—some are incumbent officials and political candidates—for top positions in Albay are currently facing allegations of abuse of state resources (ASR) following a complaint lodged by a certain Teodesix “Ted” Bellen from Barangay 14, Ilawod-Problacion, Legazpi City.
Among those named in the complaint are political allies: gubernatorial candidate Congressman Joey Sarte Salceda, Ako Bicol nominee Cong. Elizaldy Co, AKB nominee Mayor Alfredo Garbin, and 1st district congressional hopeful Cong. Jill Bongalon.
Additionally, mayoral candidate Hisham Ismail, 2nd district congressional contender Christopher Co, vice-gubernatorial candidate Diday Co, and the AKB partylist are also included in the complaint.
The report indicates that the candidates mentioned above are making use of government resources in a way that promotes their political interests ahead of the upcoming elections, which includes government programs and events.
According to the report, Salceda, Bongalon, and their ally Diday Co were in attendance and gave speeches supporting their active political campaigns on May 1, 2025, during the inauguration ceremony of 10 MVA Salvacion Substation at 69 KV sub-transmission lines in Sto. Domingo, Albay.
In addition, Elizaldy Co, along with his brother Christopher Co, led the ceremonial turnover of subsidy funds totaling P367,806,061.91 for the rehabilitation of the Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO) and gave speeches on May 6, 2025, at the ALECO Social Hall in Legazpi City.
The report reads, “The continued involvement of these congressmen in the implementation of government programs, despite having no official role in their execution, constitutes a clear attempt to associate themselves with state initiatives for political gain.”
Alfredo Garbin’s social media account displayed posts about local infrastructure and development projects funded by the national government, featuring campaign-related hashtags and captions aimed at supporting the AKB Partylist, the candidacy of his brother-in-law Hisham Ismail, and the entire “Bagong Legazpi” slate.
These posts highlighted the distribution of barangay utility vehicles in Legazpi City on May 5, 2025, and the national housing site in Taysan, Legazpi City, on April 21 and April 25, 2025.
The report reads, “By projecting these initiatives as personal accomplishments through social media channels, Garbin is improperly converting public service delivery into campaign content, undermining fair competition, and violating the principle that public resources must not be used for electoral gain.”
The Omnibus Election Code prohibits the use of public funds, equipment, and government-owned facilities for election campaigns of elected officials or any partisan political party.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Bicol Assistant Regional Director Annie Cortez said that the case has been filed in Manila, based on their nationwide daily monitoring sheet.
BicoldotPH has reached out to the camp of Cong. Salceda, but made no comment, as they have not received the official copy of the complaint yet.