Cavite governor decries moves to unseat him

TRECE MARTIRES CITY — Cavite Gov. Ireneo "Ayong" Maliksi decried yesterday what he described as moves by the Arroyo administration, allegedly in connivance with the Remulla clan, to unseat him.

Maliksi also belied accusations hurled against him by the Remullas which he said were unfounded and merely part of what he sees as a concerted effort to oust him as governor.

"It is enough. I have suffered a lot from day one of my administration," he told The STAR.

Maliksi was one of the governors who called for the impeachment of President Arroyo. He bolted the Lakas-Christian, Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), the administration party, last year and joined the Liberal Party.

Maliksi accused the Remullas of forging an "unholy alliance" with Malacañang to plot his suspension from office to pave the way for the takeover of Vice Gov. Jonvic Remulla.

He said he believes that Jonvic’s brothers Gilbert and Crispin, representatives of Cavite’s second and third congressional districts, respectively, are withholding their signatures to the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo allegedly to gain leverage.

Last week, Jonvic announced that he was filing a graft complaint against Maliksi with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged "ghost" purchase of rice where Maliksi supposedly profited by P5 million.

Maliksi dismissed the allegation as a complete lie, saying the questioned transaction was above board and duly documented, as with other transactions of the governor’s office which he said are routinely submitted to the provincial board where Jonvic sits as presiding officer.

"My fear is that since the Ombudsman has the power to suspend public officials for a period of up to six months, this new complaint was deliberately resorted to in order for Jonvic to assume the reins of the provincial government without having been duly elected to the post," he said.

Maliksi expressed apprehension that Malacañang might influence the independent-minded Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo.

But if only to erase his doubts, Maliksi said he has written Marcelo to ask him for fairness and due process in the disposition of Remulla’s complaint.

He cited the Ombudsman’s fairness in a previous case which Jonvic also filed, questioning the compromise agreement entered into by the provincial government with the owners of the land now occupied by the provincial Capitol.

The Ombudsman denied Jonvic’s motion in that case which sought Maliksi’s preventive suspension. The Court of Appeals also dismissed Jonvic’s petition for the annulment of the compromise agreement.