A group of Marikina City public school teachers has called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate the distribution of financial aid to their colleagues under the Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), facilitated by Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo.
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In a letter, the teachers—who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal—claimed the aid distribution activity may constitute vote-buying or political misuse of government resources close to the elections.
They also submitted video and photo evidence to support their claim.
“The Commission on Elections should investigate whether this could be considered vote-buying or using power to influence votes, which are not allowed under the law,†they said, calling on Comelec chairman George Garcia to prioritize the probe on the matter.
Aside from the Comelec Law Department, the letters were also received by the the Department of Education (DepEd), DSWD, and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
According to the teachers, details about the DSWD financial aid were announced during a meeting on Project TEACH. Quimbo was also reportedly present during the payout, which was held from April 21 to 23, 2025, at the Q Civic Center.
“We find this alarming because we, public school teachers, are not poor or in crisis and do not fall under the usual DSWD guidelines for this kind of help,†the teachers stated.
“Also, some of our co-teachers were told to help check IDs and documents of other teachers to process this aid. We were also told to give our own IDs to be listed as recipients,†they added.
The group further expressed concern that certain officials — identified as Marie Ann Yambala, president of the Marikina City Federation of Public School Teachers Inc., and Atty. Ceasar Augustos Cebujano, DepEd Marikina District Legal Officer, allowed the activity to proceed and even led or supported the validation work.
“We ask the DepEd to look into this right away and remind everyone not to take part in any activity with political involvement or money matters during election time,†the teachers said.
“The Department of Social Welfare and Development should clarify why teachers are included in the AICS program during the election period, especially if the help is being used for political reasons,†they added.
They also requested the CSC to look into what appropriate administrative measures can be taken against those behind the payout.
“We are writing this letter out of love for our work and concern for the truth and fairness of our elections. We hope your offices will act quickly and do what is right,†they told the concerned agencies.