By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez denied allegations that he snubbed Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran during the turnover ceremony of the Asenso Yuhum Housing Project on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Barangay Vista Alegre.
Atty. Caesar Distrito, spokesperson for Mayor Benitez, said in a press statement on Wednesday that invitations are typically sent via Messenger to Vice Mayor Familiaran’s technical assistant, Gaye Marie Tiu.
“As in previous occasions, especially those with short preparation time, an invitation message and layout card for the event were sent via Messenger to his TA, Gaye Marie Tiu,” Distrito said.
He added that Mayor Benitez specifically instructed his staff to invite all incumbent city officials to official events, regardless of political affiliations, as he does not engage in petty politics.
Distrito also pointed out that invitations to other incumbent officials were also sent via Messenger due to the limited preparation time.
However, Tiu maintained that there was no official invitation for the Vice Mayor to attend the event.
“The office of Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran did not receive any formal invitation for the event,” Tiu said in a press statement posted on her social media page.
She explained that she personally received a poster announcement about the turnover event, sent via Messenger by Shai Yasas from the Office of the City Mayor at 6:32 a.m. on Jan. 25, Saturday—only three hours before the event.
“In the message, it was not stated that Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran was invited or expected to attend the turnover event at 10 a.m.,” Tiu added.
She further said, “If the intention was to send an official invitation to Vice Mayor Familiaran, it should have followed proper protocol, considering the position of a Vice Mayor or any government official. A specific timeframe should have been observed to allow proper information dissemination, rather than sending it through unofficial communication channels.”
