‘Ti, ano kung Benitez ka?’: Bacolod allies nearly come to blows over city’s debts - Rappler

Already have Rappler+? Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Bacolod City Representative Albee Benitez walked straight to the table where his political ally, Councilor Homer Bais, was seated at a dinner party. Moments later, a dispute over the city government’s debts erupted into a shouting match, with both men taking turns in slamming the table as officials and guests looked on.

The confrontation threatened to turn physical, prompting Bacolod Councilor Caesar Distrito to intervene. He wrapped his arms around Bais and tried to calm him down.

The commotion eventually subsided, and the two men left the dining area.

The incident unfolded on Friday, October 16, at a MassKara Festival dinner party in the lobby of Bacolod’s New Government Center, during the city’s Electric MassKara parade.

At the center of the confrontation was the city’s P6.1 billion in loans incurred under the past two administrations, including Benitez’s tenure as mayor from 2022 to 2025.

Bais said Benitez confronted him over a manifestation he made during a regular City Council session on Wednesday, October 14, calling for an accounting of the city’s loans.

As Bais tried to explain his position, Benitez slammed the table, he said.

“Albee slammed the table first. I just responded [by doing] the same thing,” Bais told Rappler in an interview on Saturday, October 17.

“Ti, ano kung Benitez ka? (So, what if you are a Benitez?)” Bais shouted.

The retort became a talking point across Bacolod and on social media, where commenters praised the councilor for standing his ground against Benitez, a billionaire politician with considerable influence in the city.

Bais said he was stunned by the confrontation, particularly because it happened in front of fellow officials and guests. He said he had not expected Benitez to confront him that way in public.

The two men are political allies, but the scene they made underscored tensions over the city’s debt and the demand for accountability in the use of public funds.

“May dignidad pa man ko nga dapat tipigan (I still have my dignity to protect),” said Bais, a former anchorman of Bombo Radyo-Bacolod. “I will not and will never allow him to humiliate me in public because I was raised to always stand or fight for what is right.”

In a statement on Monday, Benitez did not directly address the issue about the confrontation. Instead, he focused on city hall’s loans, including his administration’s, which triggered the dispute.

He said he called out Bais “because his continuing public criticisms, in my view, created the unfair impression that the City Council and his own colleagues were hiding something from the public.”

Benitez said he was also for transparency, but stressed, “Transparency is a shared responsibility, not a personal political trophy.”

“What concerns me is when it becomes political grandstanding, creating the impression that one person alone is fighting for accountability while his colleagues are deliberately withholding information. This disregards the work already undertaken and unfairly casts doubt on the integrity of fellow public servants who are equally committed to transparency,” Benitez said.

Bais said the incident stemmed from a manifestation he made during a City Council session on a proposed resolution by Councilor Em Ang seeking status reports on the unfinished Bacolod MassKara Coliseum and museum-auditorium in barangays Tangub and Alijis.

Ang sought updates on construction, the causes of delays and completion timelines for the projects, which began under former mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia and were funded partly by the city’s P1.7 billion in loans.

In the interest of fairness and transparency, Bais said he asked, “Why not include all the projects also funded by other loans of the city?” That proposal would extend scrutiny to projects financed by loans obtained under the Benitez administration.

Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr., who supported Bais’ manifestation, said the proposal was not ill-intentioned and aligned with Ang’s resolution, which focused on fairness, transparency, financial soundness and accountability.

In July, Gamboa proposed a resolution asking the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a comprehensive audit of city projects funded by loans obtained under the Leonardia and Benitez administrations.

The city government secured P1.7 billion in loans under Leonardia, while Benitez obtained P4.4 billion in loans from the Development Bank of the Philippines in 2023, Gamboa said.

A document from the DBP Bacolod branch listed the following projects under the Benitez administration’s P4.4 billion in loans:

Gamboa said the city government set aside P560 million in next year’s budget for loan payments, covering both principal and interest.

“It means the city will be paying P46 million per month just for loans,” Gamboa said. “So, it is but natural that we will ask COA’s help to trace all the listed projects funded by our loans.” – Rappler.com