Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba lambasted the Commission on Elections following its Second Division's decision to disqualify the governor for violating the spending ban during the 2022 elections.

Mamba called the decision an "injustice to Cagayanos," stressing that the programs where the funding has been released have been exempted by the Comelec, adding that he has been distributing government aid to 820 barangays and towns within Cagayan province.

The governor argued that the funding for the said government program are forms of ayuda to communities.

"Since I became governor of the province, I have been giving P500,000 per barangay per year. It's 820 barangays. In our towns, I give them P3 million to P5 million. Here, it depends on their priorities. All of the issues they're pointing out are from the 'No Barangay Left Behind,'" Mamba said.

"This is injustice, this is a wrong decision because they have given an exemption to our programs," he added.

The disqualification stemmed from petitioner Zarah Rose De Guzman Lara — whom Mamba defeated in the May elections — alleging that the governor committed widespread vote-buying supposedly using the funds of the provincial government.

The Comelec said that while Lara failed to prove that Mamba engaged in vote-buying, there was "strong" evidence that he violated a 45-day ban on releasing public funds ahead of election day.

The poll body said it had exempted only one program of the local government from the ban, the "No Barangay Left Behind" or NBLB project, on the condition that funds used would be reported.

The Second Division said there was no evidence that Mamba complied with this requirement, making it illegal for him to disburse the funds.