Longer video of Mar, Tacloban mayor meeting surfaces

MANILA, Philippines - A longer video recording of the controversial meeting between Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez is now making the rounds online after the camp of the Cabinet official criticized a shorter clip that first surfaced.

The latest video, which is nearly 43 minutes in duration, shows the meeting of the officials after Super Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban City, with Roxas asking Romualdez for a document stating that the local government is no longer functioning so the national government may officially step in.

"We want to legalize, we want to make formal what is the situation," Roxas told Romualdez. "It's up to you, the chief executive of the city to say 'Look, hindi namin kaya.'"

Asked by Romualdez on what is not legal in the situation, Roxas said there was no proper recognition or conferment of authorities between the local and national government.

He said formalizing the situation will prevent criticisms that may come out later that President Aquino simply took the authority of Romualdez.

Roxas said the President is "very, very concerned" about the ongoing gray areas on the government functionalities operating.

"If you want the national government to take over to do this or whatever. You need to formalize that," said Roxas, noting that a verbal agreement won't suffice.

In the video, Romualdez replied: "Yes, I have no problem with that."

On Monday, Romualdez told a Senate oversight committee hearing that not enough help was sent to his city and claimed that Roxas urged him to give up his power as mayor.

Read: Tacloban mayor hits PNoy, Mar for lack of help

He said the Cabinet official even pointed out to him his being a Romualdez, a different political family from that of President Aquino.

"You have to understand, you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino. He is being very careful in just taking over because he doesn't want anything to be misconstrued," Roxas said in the latest video.

Roxas denied on Tuesday that there was politics in the relief operations and claimed that Romualdez was not telling the truth.

“I sympathize with him, but my advice to Mayor Romualdez: don’t distort facts, stop rewriting history,” Roxas said.

Read: Roxas lashes back at Romualdez

The latest video recording of the meeting between Roxas and Romualdez was uploaded to Youtube on Tuesday by Cito Beltran.

It has already garnered over 43,000 views as of writing.

A shorter video clip of the meeting first was first posted on Youtube on Monday by "Josemari Gonzalez," the name of the father of Tacloban City Councilor Cristina "Kring Kring" Gonzalez, wife of the city mayor.

The clip, which is only 18 seconds in duration, has obtained over 100,000 views as of writing.

Read: WATCH: Mar telling Tacloban mayor 'You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino'

Roxas has criticized the release of the video, which, he claims was spliced.

"This spliced video conveniently hides the truth. Let the truth come out... Tigilan na ang panlilinlang," Roxas said.