Mayor Hernani Braganza of Alaminos City in Pangasinan province on Friday called news report that 11 barangay captains had filed criminal charges against him for alleged non-release of barangay funds and confiscation of barangay vehicles, a rehashed harassment case.

“My political opponents are desperately scraping the bottom of the barrel. They can’t find any dirt so they are desperately reviving stale cases against me,” said Braganza, the Liberal Party’s candidate for governor in Pangasinan.

Braganza said that the cases had been lodged in the Office of the Ombudsman for several months now, but news reports made it appear as if the cases were filed only recently.

“Don’t be misled by spin doctors. This is an old harassment case repackaged as news,” he added.

Braganza noted that his lawyers had already moved for the dismissal of the cases, citing perjury made by the complaining barangay chairmen in their allegations.

He explained that the Alaminos City budget office was able to provide the Ombudsman with documents proving that the all the barangays had received the barangay aid due to them.

“The documents, including checks and bank records, showed that the complainants were lying. We believe we have strong grounds to charge them with perjury,” he added.

Braganza also noted that as early as December 7, 2010, the aid to 39 barangays in Alaminos City for 2010 of about P1.17 million, was transferred and credited to their respective Land Bank of the Philippines accounts.

For 2011, the aid to the 39 barangays was fully released on May 14, 2011, as proven by similar documents.

As for the barangay vehicles, Braganza said that the city government was left with no choice but to recall the L-300 Mitsubishi vans for repair and upkeep, after they were discovered to be unserviceable and unsafe for transport.