Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez has fired back at a “clean mayor” who has accused lawmakers of corruption, urging him to confront problems in his own backyard before discrediting Congress.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Gomez claimed the accusations were less about corruption and more about a political rivalry with the congressman representing the mayor’s city.
“It doesn’t surprise me anymore that this so-called ‘clean’ mayor is throwing accusations of corruption at us congressmen. Corruption has become the easiest issue to ride on nowadays, but let’s be honest, I don’t think this is all about corruption,” Gomez said.
According to him, the mayor is lashing out because the city’s congressman has been able to bring in more projects. “If this is about his own congressman, who happens to bring in more projects for his district than he can for his city, don’t include all of us. If you have a problem with your congressman, face him. Don’t drag all of us into your fight. Don’t discredit every congressman just to make yourself look good,” he added.
Gomez further challenged the mayor to turn his attention to pressing issues plaguing the city, including poor air quality, lack of efficient public transport, garbage disposal problems, and flawed urban planning.
While Gomez did not directly name names, many believe he was alluding to Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, who recently exposed alleged “corruption” involving lawmakers in connection with the controversial 2025 national budget.