6 Isabela mayors ready for Padaca showdown

ILAGAN, Isabela — The mayors of six municipalities, including this capital town, dared Gov. Grace Padaca to file cases against them in connection with their alleged non-remittance of real property tax to the provincial government since she became governor in 2004.

"We will see her in court. We will answer her charges before the court. We are in good faith," said Alicia Mayor Napoleon Dy.

On the part of Alicia, Dy, president of the provincial mayors’ league, said its unremitted real property tax is deposited in a trust fund.

Last week, Padaca said in an interview in the United States that she was determined to file cases against the six mayors for allegedly not remitting the provincial government’s share of the real property tax amounting P11.9 million for the past two years.

Besides Dy, the five other mayors are Delfinito Albano (Ilagan), Jose Panganiban Jr. (Angadanan), Amado Vallejo Jr. (Cordon), Abraham Lim (San Isidro), and Francisco Ignacio Ramirez III (Naguilian).

Dy, brother of former Isabela governor Faustino Dy Jr., whom Padaca defeated in the 2004 elections, said he sees no problem in Padaca’s filing cases against them.

The six mayors said Padaca should have not waited for two years to file the cases against them. Nevertheless, Dy said they are ready to face these cases, adding that they would answer her charges point by point.

For his part, Albano, younger brother of Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Rodolfo Albano, said the Ilagan municipal government has been religiously remitting real property tax to the provincial government.

Vallejo described Padaca’s threat to file cases against them as a move to gain "media mileage."

Padaca, in a statement, said the six mayors were given enough time to settle their tax obligations with the provincial government but to no avail.

Padaca said she would readily accept the mayors’ challenge for her to sue them.

"When I say something, I mean it. They can bet jueteng money on it... I am ready to see them in court on this issue," she said.