Tiwi officials ask QC RTC to quash arrest warrant

LEGAZPI CITY — Tiwi town Mayor Patria Gutierrez and nine councilors who were detained since Oct. 1 at the Albay provincial command left Sunday to attend the hearing of their petition to squash the warrant of arrest issued by Judge Lucas Bersamin of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 96 in Quezon City for indirect contempt.

Supt. Pedro Tango, Albay police director, said the mayor and members of the municipal council left on board two vans from the provincial police office at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

The town officials, Tango said, were escorted by a five-man police team led by Police Inspector Rocky Pontanes.

Judge Bersamin ordered the arrest of the town officials Oct. 1 after they allegedly failed to issue an ordinance for the payment of more than P14 million for lawyer Antonio Betito, who filed the claim before Bersamin’s office for winning a case for the municipality against the sharing of the taxes from the National Power Corp. with the Albay provincial government.

The NPC owned Tiwi town some P228 million in royalty taxes during the time of Gutierrez’ predecessor, Mayor Naomi Corral.

Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Ruth Corral assumed yesterday the post of acting mayor after the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Quezon City ordered to free her and Councilor Jesus Consulta, who assumes the post of the new vice mayor, from detention based on "automatic succession" to run the operation of the local government.

"The two officials will assume the vacant positions due to physical incapacity of the incumbent mayor to exercise her duties as town executive due to legal impediments," said Ricardo Casin provincial director of the Department of Interior and Local Government. — Celso Amo