May 27, 2026 | Camarines Sur
The Citizens for Change and Watchdog Initiative (CCWI) is pressing the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Camarines Sur to take immediate action on its demand for the disclosure of records involving the Kaogma Festival budget, procurement transactions, and contract awards.
In a May 21, 2026 letter addressed to Vice Governor Salvio Patrick F. Fortuno, Jr. and the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, CCWI urged the provincial legislative body to compel the administration of Governor Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte, Jr. to comply with what CCWI describes as mandatory transparency and full-disclosure requirements.
At the heart of the dispute is CCWI’s demand for access to documents that, according to the organization, have not been made publicly available, including records concerning the Kaogma Festival budget, procurement processes, and contract awards.
“The public has the right to know”
CCWI argues that residents of Camarines Sur are entitled to examine how public funds are allocated and spent.
The organization is calling for the provincial board to exercise its oversight functions and take concrete steps to obtain and disclose the records in question.
“The people of Camarines Sur have every right to know how their taxes are being spent,” CCWI said.
The group’s latest action follows an earlier escalation to the Office of the Ombudsman.
According to CCWI, it filed a complaint with the Ombudsman on May 14, 2026, naming Governor LRay Villafuerte, Jr., BAC Chairperson Janis Ian B. Regaspi-Cleofe, and ICARMO Head Hernanie V. Morales.
The filing and the allegations contained in it are matters for the appropriate authorities to evaluate. The individuals named have not, by virtue of being identified in CCWI’s complaint, been established as having committed any wrongdoing.
Provincial board put on notice
CCWI is now placing the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on formal notice that it expects action within the period it says is prescribed by law.
The organization warned that if the provincial board fails to act, CCWI intends to pursue what it describes as “all available judicial and legal remedies” before the Office of the Ombudsman and other competent authorities.
The escalation raises a broader public-accountability question: Will the provincial government and its legislative oversight body provide the records sought by CCWI, and will the public be given a full accounting of the money involved in the Kaogma Festival?
For CCWI, the issue is no longer simply a request for documents. It is a test of transparency and public accountability.
“We will not stop. Transparency and accountability are not optional — they are the law,” the organization said.
The next step now rests with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Camarines Sur and, where applicable, the government agencies with authority to examine the allegations and records involved.
CCWI says it will continue pursuing the matter until the records it is seeking are made available or the appropriate authorities formally resolve its complaints.
