LOCAL LGBTQ community champion Regal Oliva has vowed to enter politics and challenge Mandaue City Lone District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano Dizon in the midterm elections next year.
However, there’s a catch: Oliva, the current treasurer of Mandaue City, said she would only do so if her transfer to Navotas City is halted.
“Suklan nato siya. Kon unsa iyang daganan mao sad akong daganan. Kon modagan siya og pagka mayor, suklan nako pagka mayor (Let’s challenge her. Whatever position she runs for, I will run for the same. If she runs for mayor, I will challenge her for mayor),” said Oliva.
Either Dizon or her brother, Provincial Board Member Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, is rumored to be running for mayor against incumbent Mayor Jonas Cortes.
Dizon has said that her family wants to maintain the political alliance with Cortes.
Reliable sources
Oliva, a lawyer, accused Dizon of orchestrating her transfer to Navotas City, citing information from reliable sources within the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the staff of the House Speaker.
Oliva did not disclose any names but said that her sources confirmed that it was Dizon’s family who requested her transfer.
“It didn’t only come from the Department of Finance; it comes from the DILG. Many confirmed to me, even the staff of the Speaker of the House, that it was her who really requested it. It’s their family who requested my transfer,” Oliva told reporters in a mix of Cebuano and English on Friday, July 12, 2024.
Oliva said the situation she’s involved in is unfair, even if she’s seen as collateral damage. She questioned the power play in Mandaue, noting residents would resent such a display of authority.
“We don’t work like that. We work as one and as a family in Mandaue,” she said in Cebuano.
Fight back
Oliva said she would not leave Mandaue silently and that her transfer prompted her to fight back.
Before Oliva spoke on the issue of her transfer, speculations abound on social media that it was Dizon and the Ouano family who orchestrated the treasurer’s transfer outside Mandaue. To address the matter, Dizon released a statement last Wednesday, July 10, denying the accusations, calling them baseless speculations.
However, on Friday, Oliva dismissed Dizon’s denial.
“No matter if she says nga ni-deny siya ana (that she denies it), bakakon siyang dako (she’s a big liar). Wala ko ganahi ana (I don’t like that),” she said.
As of July 12, Oliva had not received any official order from the Department of Finance (DOF). She remains the city treasurer of Mandaue City.
Oliva said the DOF has requested some documents, but she is reluctant to submit them as it might imply her consent to the transfer.
The DOF’s policy on the designation of a treasurer typically requires either a mayor’s request or the treasurer’s own request for a transfer.
However, Oliva pointed out that this case is different, citing her reliable source that there is a request from Dizon.
“Amiga man unta mi (We are friends). Among pamilya paryente (Our families are related). I cannot understand why iya kong papahawaon diri sa siyudad (she wants me transferred outside the city). Totally, I don’t know what her reasons are,” Oliva said.
She urged Dizon to disclose the reason for her transfer to Mandaue residents.
Refusal
The DOF has asked Oliva to write a document consenting to her transfer to another local government unit, but she refuses to do so.
“If they want to remove me, then remove me immediately,” Oliva said.
Oliva clarified that the order did not come from DOF Secretary Ralph Recto but from an undersecretary in the local government unit.
She mentioned two possible documents that might be requested: one from the mayor designating her assistant treasurer or a letter from her requesting her transfer.
Oliva expressed confusion over why she should write a letter requesting her transfer when, initially, the request allegedly came from the Speaker of the House. She remains puzzled by the developments and insists she will comply if an official order from the DOF is issued for her transfer to Navotas City.
SunStar Cebu tried to get a statement from Dizon about Oliva’s accusations, but she refused to give a statement. / CAV