Tuesday, October 30, 2007 Mayor says he does not support Olanolan By Grace L. Plata
WITH the barangay elections now over, it's now out in the open -- and for those who were taken for a ride, it's time to ponder on whether they made the right choice.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said he has never given his blessing for the candidacy of ousted barangay 76-A captain Roberto Olanolan, who was trying to wrest the position from his rival Celso Tizon.
"Wala koy pakialam niya (I don't care about him). In all the time I was in politics, he never supported me, so nganong suportahan nako siya (why should I support him)?" Duterte said in reaction to reports that Olanolan has been telling his constituents that he was seeking the barangay captain position against incumbent captain Tizon with the blessing of Duterte.
Incidentally, Tizon is a known Duterte supporter.
Barangay 76-A is one of the largest barangays in the city, with 49,894 voters including SK registrants.
During the last barangay elections in 2002, Olanolan and Tizon fought over the chairmanship resulting in riots between their supporters.
Olanolan, however, wrested the position and was the barangay captain until the Supreme Court ruled that Tizon was the rightful chairman. Tizon assumed the post in 2005, three years after the elections.
