Monday, February 05, 2007 Mayor blames attempt to suspend him on Paras By Edmund B. Sestoso
VALLEHERMOSO, Oriental Negros -- Mayor Joniper Villegas has accused Representative Jacinto Paras (1st district, Negros Oriental) of working to have him suspended.
Villegas's suspension was averted after he was able to secure a temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals.
The mayor aired his gripes against the lawmaker in a public affairs radio program "Pagmata Unang Distrito" aired over the Catholic Church-owned dyWC recently.
The Court of Appeals earlier restrained both the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) from implementing a suspension order it had earlier issued against Vallehermoso Mayor Joniper Villegas.
The court directed Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and over-all Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro not to implement its assailed order for a period of 60 days.
The court has also issued the same order to Vallehermoso Vice Mayor Buenaventura Olladas who had been designated to assume the mayoral post.
Villegas categorically said it was Paras who allegedly maneuvered and put "pressure" on agencies to suspend him.
One reason why, the mayor said, was because he refused to support the congressional bid of Paras's wife, Olive, and instead declared his support for congressional bid of former congressman Jerome "Jerry" Paras.
Jing and Jerry Paras are brothers, while Mayor Villegas is their first cousin.
Villegas also said he supported Jerry Paras because it was agreed among family members then that in the 2007 electoral exercise, the Paras and Villegas family will back Jerry up.
He said incumbent Jing Paras has even signed the document to this effect.
The mayor said there was a time in the 2004 elections that he supported President Arroyo's bid and was courted by Rep. Jing Paras to back instead opposition bet Fernando Poe Jr.
He refused because he said his constituents might construe him as "walay baruganan" and that he had already made public his support to the president.
He said what is worst is while the lawmaker is courting his first cousin to switch loyalty to Poe, Jing Paras secretly supported his rival for the mayoralty post, a certain Adelie Serion.
He said those are the major reasons why he was "harassed" by the lawmaker employing all means to remove him from the town hall.
"I am not leaving my post. The people elected and supported me. I believe the decision of the Ombudsman is not yet final and executory," Villegas said.
The case stemmed from the complaint raised by a municipal employee, Adelie Serion, in 2005.
The recommendation of the Visayas Ombudsman favored Villegas, but when reviewed, it was reversed by the Ombudsman in Manila.
With the TRO, the department heads' decision not to heed Vice Mayor Olladas's directive as mayor has been proven to be the right decision.
"We follow the incumbent mayor's decisions as provided by law," they said.
