Veteran journalist Jessica Soho was not declared persona non grata by the Cagayan de Oro City Council over her report on the unfinished Mega Health Center. The claim stemmed from an edited video and photo on Facebook, but officials have debunked it. No such resolution exists against her.
The claim originated from a post by the Facebook page Brgy. Outpost on November 18, 2025, showing a photo of City Councilor Edgar Salcedo Cabanlas speaking at the podium, with text stating the council plans to declare Soho persona non grata amid the Mega Health Center controversy. That post garnered over 3,200 reactions, 555 comments, and 1,200 shares. A video followed on November 24, with more than 2,400 reactions, 666 comments, and 1,700 shares, featuring a 25-second clip seemingly showing Cabanlas making the declaration against the journalist.
However, on November 25, the city council's official Facebook page stated that Cabanlas did not initiate, propose, or support any move to declare Soho persona non grata. This was backed by an unedited clip from the 20th Regular Session on November 24, where Cabanlas debunked the claim. In his own post, he affirmed that neither he nor any council member initiated such action.
The Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho program also issued a response. The video's audio was found to be edited: In the original, Cabanlas said, “My picture appeared in the Facebook post that states that the City Council of Cagayan de Oro was intending to pass a resolution declaring Jessica Soho as persona non grata for exposing the alleged anomaly in the construction of the Mega Center in Macanhan.” The edited version manipulated it to sound like a direct declaration.
Cabanlas suggested the post might aim to undermine the administration, target him personally, or confuse the public. Meanwhile, construction of the Mega Health Center in Macanhan, Barangay Carmen, began on March 19, 2024, funded by nearly P65 million from the 2023 supplemental budget. Contractor Nurben Engineering was tasked to complete it in 290 calendar days, but after nearly two years, only steel beams stand, per Soho's report. The contractor claims work halted due to delayed payments from the city government.