MANILA - Senate hopeful Bong Go was not behind the distribution of t-shirts bearing his face during a public assembly attended by barangay officials, according to a Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) sa Pilipinas official.

In a statement, LNB president Faustino Dy V said Bayan For Bong Go, a group supporting the Senate bet, provided the t-shirts.

"Liga ng mga Barangay did not coordinate with SAP Bong Go or his campaign team regarding the said t-shirts," he said.

• Bong Go shirts distributed in paid Liga ng mga Barangay event

The white polo shirts were distributed as part of the first Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) sa Pilipinas National Assembly event kit, where the registration fee cost between P13,800 and P19,800, senatorial candidate Gary Alejano earlier said.

"The Liga ng mga Barangay assures the general public that no public funds from the LNB or the individual barangays were used to purchase campaign materials of any candidate. The LNB remains an apolitical association of punong barangays," Dy said.

Dy also noted that Alejano only hit the t-shirts given by Go's supporters, when other "campaign teams distributed ballers and other campaign materials during the said event."

Go earlier said he had "no idea" that his name and cartoonized face were emblazoned on the giveaways for the said event and urged his supporters to abide by the Commission on Elections' rules.

Senatorial candidate Gary Alejano hits Bong Go for allegedly using public funds to distribute shirts bearing the former SAP's name and face during the Liga ng mga Barangay's first national assembly. pic.twitter.com/q1xiG9gPBS

— Kat Domingo (@_katrinadomingo) March 5, 2019