Two employees of the Barangay Mayor’s Office (BMO) in Lapu-Lapu City implicated in an anomaly on the distribution of P1,000 birthday cash gift for senior citizens were dismissed.

Nestor Parame, BMO head, disclosed that the employment of two casual employees was terminated.

Parame said he conducted his own investigation on the incident, following a complaint filed by Jan Ray Tumulak, son of a senior citizen.

In the formal complaint that Jan Ray sent to the Office of the Mayor on July 18, 2025, he sought answers on which person, or persons, could have processed and claimed the P1,000 birthday cash gift for his father.

Based on records, the claimant used a thumbmark in lieu of the signature of Antonio Tumulak, Jan Ray's father.

On June 13, 2025, Antonio celebrated his 63^rd birthday. 

Jan Ray said that his father was looking forward to the release of the said birthday cash gift.

However, Antonio died on July 2, 2025 without receiving the amount, as distribution for June celebrators was set from July 10-15, 2025 yet.

To Jan Ray's dismay, he found out that the cash gift for his father was already claimed.

In the termination order issued by City Administrator Danilo Almendras against the two casual employees of the City Hall, effectivity was set on August 8, 2025. However, Jan Ray is not convinced of the dismissal.

He said he requested transparency to have the identity of the two employees revealed, but his request fell on deaf ears.

Jan Ray surmised that the two could have been transferred to other departments in the City Hall.

Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Cindi King-Chan said that they are looking at another way of distributing the birthday cash gift, which could be earlier than the usual schedule, or exactly on the birth month of the beneficiaries.