Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu has declined to comment on the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) complaint against 12 barangay officials and two city hall employees allegedly involved in cutting aid from beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.

The mayor said she has yet to review the documents filed by DSWD with the Office of the Ombudsman and will wait before issuing any statement.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian previously claimed that some barangay officials have a history of reducing aid for beneficiaries, a practice that reportedly began during the pandemic, but was only recently formally reported by affected recipients.