Ilocos Sur mayor nabbed for contempt

STO. DOMINGO, Ilocos Sur — This town’s mayor, installed two weeks before the May 10 polls based on a court verdict favoring his electoral protest, is in trouble,

This, after Mayor Alfred Figueras was ordered arrested last Friday for direct contempt. He had barely warmed his seat (on his 15th day, to be exact) after unseating Floro Tadena, his opponent in 2001, when the arrest warrant came out.

The arrest order for him was issued by Vigan City Regional Trial Court Judge Dominador Arquelada who, incidentally, was the same one who earlier had ruled in his favor.

"If this is the price I have to pay for having filed the (electoral) protest in behalf of our people, so be it," Figueras told reporters at the provincial police headquarters.

His troubles apparently did not end with the favorable resolution of his electoral protest after three years of litigation.

His hand-picked candidate who fought Tadena in the recent polls, Vice Mayor Anthony Que, unfortunately lost and Tadena will be back on June 30.

Figueras and his co-respondents, including former Sto. Domingo budget officer Monroe Callejo, face the risk of remaining under detention indefinitely should Arquelada stonewall and delay the grant of bail to them.

If that happens, he may not be able to serve the remaining days of his mayorship. Figueras will reportedly file a motion for bail today.

But Vigan councilor Ever Molina, a practicing lawyer, said it is the judge’s prerogative to act on the motion expeditiously or "in his own sweet time."

His advised Figueras to "humble himself" and plead for the judge’s compassion "so he may be able to serve his few days of mayorship."

The contempt case stemmed from alleged slanderous remarks which Figueras’ supporters hurled at the judge when they staged a two-day rally in front of the court urging Arquelado to issue a writ of judicial execution to effect Figueras’ assumption into office.

The writ was finally issued on May 6, enabling Figueras to formally replace Tadena.

The rallyists allegedly impugned the judge’s integrity when one of their placards claimed he had sired a child out of wedlock. Speakers during the rally also reportedly took turns lambasting the judge. — Teddy Molina