Thursday, March 18, 2004
Rivals threaten to sue Loot over rally order
By CHARMAINE Y. RODRIGUEZ
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
POLITICAL enemies of Daanbantayan Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot threatened to sue her for imposing a prohibition on rallies and gatherings without permits from the barangay or municipal hall.
In an executive order, dated March 9, 2004, Loot said rallies, groupings and other similar or related activities “may contribute to the problem on peace and order.”
Vice Mayor Jose de Leon Jr., who is running against Loot, said they feel that the order is intended to stop them from organizing in preparation for the elections.
Eighteen of the town’s 20 barangay captains allied with Loot also planned to pass resolutions prohibiting militant groups identified with the CPP-NPA like the “Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, KMP, Karapatan, RCN and others,” from entering their communities.
“Tungod kay maghatag kini og kasamok og kagubot sanglit nasinati naman nato kini sa uban pang kasikbit nga kabarangayan nga walay maayo ang ilang organisasyon, (These organizations only cause trouble, as what other barangays have experienced),” read one of the draft barangay council resolutions.
Gilbert Arabis Jr., party-list group Akbayan’s campaign coordinator and a candidate for councilor under de Leon’s slate, said they only held “pulong-pulongs” for fisherfolk and voters’ education campaigns in the barangays.
Loot, when sought for reaction, said the issuance of the executive order is part of her duties to ensure order in the municipality.
Although she agrees with the content of the draft barangay council resolution, Loot said she has left it to her allies to pass such measure.
Void
But Arabis said Loot’s directives will not stop them from organizing members of the community since they know these are “void from the beginning,” as it violates their constitutional right to assemble.
“There are no rebels. The goons are from Loot’s camp,” he said in yesterday’s press conference at Baseline restaurant in Cebu City organized by gubernatorial candidate Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr.’s camp, where de Leon is allied with.
Aside from allowing men in camouflage uniforms to carry long firearms and roam around
the town on motorcycles, Provincial Board Member Jose Ma. Gastardo alleged that Loot, who is allied with Gov. Pablo Garcia, has also fired municipal employees, refused the renewal of business permits and ordered the removal of license plates of motorcycles of persons sympathetic to De Leon.
Opposition vice mayoralty candidate Sammy Moralde also accused the mayor’s husband, Supt. Vicente Loot, head of the Presidential Commission on Transnational Crimes-Visayas, of assisting the mayor in harassing residents on different occasions.
“There’s no more democracy in Daanbantayan,” he lamented.
The group is preparing affidavits to support the administrative complaint they plan to file against Supt. Loot in Camp Crame.
Gregoria Aragon, 69, a retired schoolteacher and de Leon’s coordinator in Barangay Maya, related to the media the three incidents when Supt. Loot coerced her to defect to their camp.
On March 14, Aragon said she had to report to the barangay hall and to the police station, the police official’s threat to “kill anyone of Martinez’s goons who would stay in her house.”
Aragon, who claimed to be Loot’s relative and former ally, said she wants an end to Loot’s autocratic style of governance.
Loot, for her part, believes Aragon bears a grudge against her because she was not appointed as a member of the lupon tagapamayapa.
The mayor, who is planning to run for the fourth district’s congressional seat in 2007, said she does not need to harass residents because she will surely get reelected “110 percent.”
“Ibaligya nako akong katapusang kaldero. Ipakita nako nila nga survivor ko.
Magbantay-bantay lang sila inig 2007 (I will sell my last pot. I will show them that I’m a survivor. They just watch out come 2007),” she warned her critics.
(March 18, 2004 issue)
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