Thursday, July 17, 2008 Editorials: Need to resolve Tudela conflict
THERE'S no question that the political situation in Tudela, one of the four towns in Camotes islands, has become a spectacle---and there seems to be no end in sight to it yet.
Or where can one find a town where three people have a “legitimate” claim to the post of mayor?
There’s a Department of Interior and Local Government-recognized mayor in Rogelio Baquerfo, a Regional Trial Court-recognized mayor in Demetrio Granada and there’s Clint Maratas, the vice mayor who may end up the mayor after the Sandiganbayan suspended Baquerfo in relation to a graft case.
Granada vs. Baquerfo
The tug-of-war is almost non-existent between Granada and Maratas as both belong to the same party; the actual conflict is between Granada and Baquerfo.
Granada has an edge in the physical sense because he has taken over the town hall and has gotten the support of majority of the Municipal Council and even the town’s Association of Barangay Councils.
But there are still legal issues to resolve even as Baquerfo insists he has not vacated his post, making the situation continue to be volatile.
The conflict may not turn violent, however, considering Baquerfo’s refusal to confront Granada and his supporters directly and because policemen have been deployed to the town to keep the peace.
But while no damage has resulted from the tug-of-war in the physical sense, its effect on the delivery of services to townsfolk cannot be underestimated.
Until the conflict is resolved, for example, the matter of which “mayor” has control over municipal funds will affect the release of salaries to municipal employees and money for town projects.
That this should not be allowed to drag on is therefore a no brainer.
Comelec
As it is, the agency that can resolve this mess is the Comelec en banc where both the Granada and Baquerfo camps are maneuvering to get a favorable ruling.
The Comelec en banc is far from the place of conflict, however, and is swamped with other electoral protests to resolve, thus it may not have felt the urgency to resolve the impasse.
But some other entities, like election officials in the region, should find ways to inform members of the Comelec en banc about the situation in Tudela now.
