The strident rebuttal was contained in a brief statement released to the Tribune by Alexander Ang Hung last Sunday afternoon (Sept. 21, 2025).
Social media posts that appeared last week alleged that a bagman of Gov. Patrick Alain T. Azanza collected advance “SOP” or commission from three contractors, including the now controversial Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corporation embroiled in the ongoing investigation into anomalous flood control projects.
Hi-Tone Construction could not be reached for commend on the post.
The other local actor – Alex Laynes – has issued a separate statements strongly describing as completely untrue the expose that originated from a post of the “u/Revolutionary Log841” account in Reddit.
The post was picked up by netizens as well as suspected anti-Azanza troll accounts and played up on Facebook, repeating the claims of advance project commissions allegedly given to “Atty. Tamtam” on behalf of the governor.
For his part, Azanza has denounced the posts as “fake news” and claimed that the contractors named in the posts supported the former administration which he said need to be investigated for millions in irregular transactions.
He stressed that the provincial government has yet to conduct the bidding of 2025 projects under his administration.
As for Atty. Ramil Joselito Tamayo, the governor surmised that the false accusations are being used to besmirch the name of the lawyer responsible for winning the disqualification cases against former Gov. Joseph Cua and former Vice Gov. Peter Cua before the Commission on Elections.
The social media posts claimed that cracks have formed in the governor’s Padagos na Patanos movement, with two provincial board members who ran with him in the last campaign breaking away.
The two veteran legislators crossed party lines to join the Sangguniang Panlalawigan majority in disapproving Azanza’s request to enter into a contract of service with Tamayo as Attorney IV, Chief of Staff and Special Projects Officer.
During the regular session on Sept. 15, 2025, PBMs Arnel Turado and Giovanni Balmadrid claimed that Atty. Tamayo made a false statement in his Personal Data Sheet and has been cited in social media allegations on illicit collections from quarry operators.
PBM Balmadrid specifically accused the lawyer of improper conduct in utilizing workers of the provincial government in repairing a road leading to his residence and other works, citing documentary and photographic evidence.
The social media posts likewise scored the alleged doubling of the price of aggregate from P400 to P900 per cubic meter, the reported verbal order to quarry permittees not to sell aggregates to Cua business establishments, and the administration’s “marching orders” for LGU officials and employees to refrain from sharing negative news about the governor and to delete the same immediately.