Within three months, he was transferred from the City of Agriculture office to the City Public Market, then the Sanitary Landfill, and most recently to the Tugbo Natural Biotic Area which he described as risky, remote, and unrelated to his expertise.

These reassignments happened all under the local administration involved in the political emergency alerts.

“I am a permanent agriculturist II and a Licensed Fisheries Professional, called to serve our fisherfolk under the City Agriculture Office. But instead of focusing on that mission, I now find myself repeatedly reassigned — far from my expertise, far from the people I am meant to serve, and contrary to Civil Service rules that prohibit undue hardship, unsafe conditions, and excessive reassignments,” he wrote on Facebook.

When the alerts rang 

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported on April 6, 2025, that Globe and Smart Telecommunications did not utilize ECBS for political campaigns.

On April 7, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reassured that the Department of Information and Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) have commenced investigations about the matter.

Aired on the same day on GMA's 24 Oras, Masbate 1st District Representative Richard Kho, one of the political candidates in the alert, denied his involvement in the emergency alerts.

On May 14, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reassured Zaragoza his inclusion under the Department of Justice's Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program (WPSBP) as a material witness.

Comelec also provided that the Commission on Kontra-Bigay and the Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan, at Karunungan (KKK) sa Halalan are handling the issue with prioritization.

Unanswered rings

More than four months after screenshots of the alerts containing names of local political candidates went viral on social media, the controversy remains unsolved.

“Yet despite the magnitude of the incident, and despite the agencies that should have looked into it…no real action has ever been taken,” Zaragoza wrote on his Facebook post. “Until today, there has been no accountability, no resolution, and no protection for ordinary government workers like me who became caught in the middle,” he added.

The public servant said he came forward not out of bitterness, but to show that silence would imply acceptance.

“Public servants should not be punished for speaking the truth, nor should viral posts or interviews become the reason for harassment,” he lamented.

Busy at the moment

Currently, Masbate Governor Ricardo ‘Richard’ Kho remains occupied with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project’s (DA-PRDP) Operations and Maintenance Audit System (OMAS) for infrastructure projects in the province.

Elisa ‘Olga’ Kho continues her post as 2nd District Representative of Masbate, maintaining her influence in the province’s legislative and development initiatives.