Ternate mayor denies initiating lewd contest

Ternate Mayor Lamberto Bambao insisted that he did not initiate the controversial "pataasan ng ihi" contest that was caught on video last December. In the video, Bambao was shown holding the microphone and laughing along with the crowd as young boys aged nine to 11 stood on a table with their trousers pulled down. In a report on GMA News' "24 Oras", Bambao said that he had just come from an event in a neighboring town and came across the party last December 27. "Nung pagdating ko, sabi ko nakita ko tatlong bata nakatayo doon. Sa tuwa ko naman, hinawakan ko yung mic, tawa ako ng tawa dun sa tatlong bata," he said. "Sabi ko dun sa kapitan, magkano ba ibibigay sa tatlong bata? Sabi, bahala na kayo mayor kung magkano," he added. , Bambao said that he did not see anything wrong with the contest, explaining that it has been a tradition in their town even before he became mayor. "Lahat ng lugar ginagawa yan eh, yung palabasan ng ihi, yung pataasan," he said. Bambao also said that he does not know who released the video, but suspects it might be a smear tactic against his reelection campaign. Meanwhile, the municipal social welfare office of Ternate has started drafting a report on the incident. The office said that so far, there have been no complaints from the parents of the children. "Diba, ho, nakausap na yung pamilya? Wala naman pong reklamo. Walang reklamo. Walang nagrereklamo kay mayor," insisted Cecile Pareja, a daycare worker at the office. However, if a complaint is filed against him, Bambao said that he is ready to face it. — Amanda Lago/DVM, GMA News