By Gualberto Laput/PNA
SIAYAN, Zamboanga del Norte — For two weeks now, this town has two officials claiming to be the legitimate mayor while the Sangguniang Bayan conducts two separate sessions.
The problem began on January 11 when the Provincial Board suspended Mayor Flora Villarosa for “violation of the Revised Penal Code, Grave Misconduct and Abuse of Authority, Conduct Unbecoming of a Government Official and Oppression.”
Vice Mayor Daisy Limbang, Villarosa’s political rival, took her oath as acting mayor, apparently taking the cue from the Provincial Board’s decision.
Limbang’s ally, first councilor Raul Dominese, also took the oath as acting vice mayor.
During the weekly Municipal Council sessions, Dominese would preside with only one Sangguniang Bayan member present while the rest of the Sangguniang Bayan members remain in their offices.
“But they don’t have a quorum, so all they can do is adjourn,” said Josecor Gepolongca, president of the Siayan Association of Barangay Chairmen, and a staunch ally of Villarosa.
When Dominese and a fellow councilor would leave the session hall, Gepolongca and the rest of the councilors would come in and conduct their own session.
Torn between two bosses, the Sangguniang Bayan secretary decided to be “officially” present in both sessions.
Meanwhile, Villarosa continued to discharge her functions as mayor while Limbang uses the vice mayor’s office as her turf.
There were a couple of instances when Limbang tried to personally stop government vehicles from getting out of the municipal hall premises, and ordered drivers to use trip tickets with her signature.
This prompted Gepolongca to intervene to prevent Limbang from what he described as “the vice mayor’s effort to disrupt the local government’s operations.”
Villarosa maintained that her suspension order meant nothing because neither Governor Roberto Uy nor the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG) issued a memorandum order executing the Provincial Board’s suspension order.
She also insisted that her suspension was politically-motivated because majority of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members — even the governor — are all Limbang’s partymates under Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bansa (PDP-Laban) party.
“In the first place, how can they slap me with administrative charges when until now, I have no conviction of a crime or even a case in any court anywhere in the Philippines,” Villarosa told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
She explained that for administrative charges to hold, it must be based on a conviction of a criminal act.
The Provincial Board hinges its administrative charges against Villarosa on an “arson and murder complaint” that as of January 11 remained pending before the local prosecutor.
Nevertheless, the suspension order has confused not only town employees but also banks that hold the municipal funds.
The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), a depository bank of Siayan, recognized Limbang as the acting mayor but has asked her to submit documents to show she was installed either by the DILG or the governor.
Siayan’s other depository bank, the Philippine National Bank, has recognized Villarosa as the mayor and has been releasing money to the local government.
An official of LBP-Siayan Branch, who requested anonymity, said that DILG should have already intervened and advised banks to avoid further disruption of operation of the town.
Siayan, which comprises 22 barangays, is a second-class municipality of Zamboanga del Norte with a population of 34,966 as of the 2015 census.
