BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
A public airing of grievances erupted this week after Loay, Bohol Mayor Atty. Hilario Ayuban took to social media to call out the Provincial Government of Bohol for sitting on infrastructure prize money the municipality had been owed since 2024, prompting Gov. Aris Aumentado to fire back that the fault lay with Loay’s own paperwork — before both sides walked the confrontation back into a more measured exchange of clarifications.
The dispute burst into public view when Ayuban posted a farewell message on behalf of Banay Loaynon, Loay’s Sandugo Street Dancing and Grand Showdown contingent, announcing the group was withdrawing from the annual competition after four straight years of participation.
Tucked into the celebratory send-off was a pointed reminder: of the four infrastructure project grants Loay had won as Sandugo prizes since 2023, three remained unreleased, including one from as far back as 2024.
The post quickly became a flashpoint.
Aumentado responded publicly, saying the delay stemmed from inconsistencies in the documents Loay’s local government had submitted to the Capitol.
Ayuban then moved to contain the fallout, clarifying that his post was meant only to inform Loaynon residents of the status of their prize and was not an attack on the provincial government.
He acknowledged his office had submitted flawed paperwork, but said the errors had already been corrected and all requirements completed on Loay’s end.
He said he held no anger or complaint against the province.
Four Years, Four Prizes, Mostly Unpaid
Ayuban said Banay Loaynon first joined the Sandugo Grand Showdown in 2023 to prove that young Loaynon performers could compete at the same level as contingents from other towns, invoking Loay’s status as the historic site of the blood compact the festival commemorates.
As a fifth/sixth-class municipality with limited internal revenue allotment, Loay saw the competition’s project-grant prizes as a rare opportunity to fund infrastructure it could not otherwise afford, while also opening scholarship opportunities for student participants.
The contingent’s four-year track record, by Ayuban’s account:
– 2023 — First runner-up, P15 million awarded for concreting a road from Baybay Village to the municipal center, targeting a stretch long prone to flooding during heavy rains. Released.
– 2024 — First runner-up, P15 million awarded for concreting the road connecting Botoc Oriental and Botoc Occidental toward Morning Hills. Still unreleased.
– 2025 — Second runner-up, P6.5 million awarded for concreting and completing roads around the public market and municipal center. Still unreleased.
– 2026 — Second runner-up, P6.5 million awarded for the improvement of the Loay People’s Center. Still unreleased.
In the farewell post, Ayuban thanked a long list of people behind the contingent’s four-year run: choreographers and artistic directors Reigh Sean H. Salas and Crown Jewel Justine Milay; dance masters, musical directors, instrumentalists, and wardrobe and costume makers; Vice Mayor Jan-jan Cubarol and Vice Mayor Tibbs Bullecer of the Sangguniang Bayan; department heads and staff; the One Loay jeepney drivers and assistants led by Nairb Apellanes Edlojed; Local Youth Development Officer Florymae Solera Bonior; gym and sound personnel; the kitchen team led by Lorence Mae Pequit Owacan and Katrina Binangbang; the Rural Health Unit and disaster risk reduction office medics; all 24 barangays, particularly day care workers; and sponsors and donors.
He also thanked the Provincial Government under Aumentado for including infrastructure projects as part of the Sandugo prize package, even as the release of three of those prizes remained pending.
Not Political
The Provincial Government of Bohol, through the Local Governance Administration and the Bohol Center for Culture and Arts Development, issued an official statement seeking to defuse the controversy, insisting it has consistently prioritized prompt processing of Sandugo project grants but that release of public funds is subject to complete documentary requirements, prescribed government procedures, and circumstances beyond its control.
According to the province’s records, all cash prizes owed to Sandugo winners from 2023 through 2025 have already been paid, and all 2023 project grants have been fully released.
For 2024, Loay is the only municipality still awaiting its grant.
The Provincial Budget and Management Office found that the project title listed in Loay’s Sangguniang Bayan resolution did not match the title in the approved budget — a discrepancy that forced the measure back through deliberation and approval by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
The province said it has been coordinating closely with Loay’s local government to complete the requirements.
The 2025 project grants are slated for release within the current year, the Capitol said, while grants for the 2026 winners, including Loay, are programmed for release only in 2027, following standard implementation timelines.
The province closed its statement by reaffirming its commitment to transparency and accountability, saying all releases are carried out in accordance with existing laws, auditing rules, and government regulations, and expressing appreciation for the patience of local government units and stakeholders awaiting their prizes.