SAN Francisco, Camotes Mayor Aly Arquillano and his brother, Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano, received a "hero's welcome" by their supporters and constituents when they arrived in the northern island town on Thursday night, May 2.
More than 200 supporters of the mayor and his brother cheered and welcomed them at the Consuelo Port last night after they were able to post bail at the Danao Regional Trial Court the morning before.
The mayor and his brother were arrested last April 4 by members of the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit of the Cebu Provincial Police Office for illegal possession of firearms and hand grenade.
For Danao City Mayor Ramon "Nito" Durano III, the arrest of the Arquillanos reeks of politics.
"They were trying to silence Mayor Aly and Vice Mayor Al, pero karon akong nakita nga mura na hinoon sila og heroes diri ba," Durano told SunStar Cebu and Superbalita Cebu on Thursday.
Durano accompanied the Arquillano brothers onboard a boat from Danao City to San Francisco in Camotes.
Durano is the chairman emeritus of the ruling Bakud Party of Cebu's Fifth District, in which the Arquillanos are members.
Aly was emotional when he spoke before his relatives and supporters at their ancestral home in Southern Poblacion.
He believed that his and his brother's release will bring back the municipality's operations to normal.
"Nagpasalamat ko sa mga tawo," the mayor said tearfully, while waving to and embracing his supporters who fell in line, waiting for their turns to approach him.
He also considered his release from a jail as an "early birthday gift."
Aly will be celebrating his 57th birthday on May 31.
The mayor, however, refused to give further comments as they are barred from issuing statements on the issue pending the court's decision.
Nonie Donaire, the Arquillanos' campaign manager, said the brothers were able to pay P750,000 for their bail.
On Friday, May 3, a thanksgiving mass for the mayor and his brother will be held at the St. Joseph Parish in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, after the Arquillanos were able to post bail on Thursday, a special session of the San Francisco municipal council scheduled on the same day, was cancelled as well.
The San Francisco municipal council were supposed to discuss matters including the appointing a signatory for the town's bank transactions and the proposal to put the town under a state of calamity due to the weak El Niño.
Acting San Francisco mayor Aaron Capao ordered the council to convene on Thursday.
Town councilor Hector Capao, who is running for mayor, said that since the Arquillanos were arrested, they have stopped conducting their regular sessions due to a lack of quorum.
The special session on Thursday was aimed to address to address some of the town's current problems such as limited water supply due to the weak El Niño, garbage collection, the payment of salaries for municipal employees, pending issuance of business permits and the allocation of fuel subsidy to municipal-owned vehicles.
Separately, Rosalinda Serion, San Francisco's local disaster risk reduction and management (LDRRM) officer, said she suggested to the municipal council to adopt the approved resolution of the Cebu Provincial Board on March 25, which declared the entire Province under a state of calamity.
"As of now, naghatag na mi og El Niño situation report to the three water cooperatives to survey the status of their crops, fisheries, and water resources," she said.
Three barangays in the southern part of San Francisco town were reportedly experiencing low water supply. (WBS/SCG of Superbalita Cebu)