‘That’s completely untrue!’ -AKB Dir. Garbin

By Jordan Domingo

ALLEGATIONS flew during a Mayor’s League meeting in Legazpi City on January 5, 2024, as former Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin disproved Rep. Edcel C. Lagman’s accusation of doling out P100 per voter.

Garbin, also Ako Bicol’s executive director, dismissed Lagman’s statement as completely untrue, invoking the legal principle “Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.”

The political alliance between the Lagmans and the Ako Bicol turned sour after the 2022 elections. Lagman accused Ako Bicol of channelling funds through the Mayor’s League for a people’s initiative.

Garbin countered, citing Supreme Court precedent and challenging Lagman’s shifting statements.

Garbin clarified that no funds were released during the meeting in question and emphasized the legality of campaign expenditures.

Lagman, in a subsequent statement, claimed a substantial budget of P14 billion for election-related activities in the 2024 General Appropriations Act, challenging its proportionality to other departmental budgets.

He argued that this budget surge aimed to expedite constitutional amendments via a people’s initiative, bypassing the Senate’s historical resistance to constitutional changes.