Tension grips Ilocos town with two mayors

Piddig, Ilocos Norte – Piddig town in Ilocos Norte is gripped with tension as townsfolk have two mayors – one holding office at the town hall while the other one in his home.

Generoso Aquino who was proclaimed by the Comelec crediting him with 71 votes during the last local polls is holding office at the town hall while his political nemesis, Augustos Salazar is holding office in his house.

On Monday, both “mayors” held their separate flag-raising ceremonies each with their own supporters, thus dividing the town and possibly leading to bloodshed.

Aquino, said lawyer Randy Kinaud, said he is the duly elected mayor but Salazar, who was the town’s chief executive since 2001, wants to wrest power bantering on his election protest which the Laoag City Regional Trial Court favored and declaring Salazar mayor with a margin of nine votes.

But Aquino appealed before the Comelec First Division with the late Romeo Brawner at the helm of the First Division with two other commissioners.

Aquino was able to obtain a 60-day temporary restraining order directing the Laoag RTC “to cease and desist from executing its decision.”

Another 60 day TRO was issued which lapsed on May 26.

On May 22, however, the clerk of court of the Comelec reportedly called the lawyer of Aquino, Sixto Brillantes, to receive his copy of the Preliminary Injunction issued by the Comelec and to pay the required bond of P50,000.

Brillantes was incidentally with lawyer Romy Makalintal at the Comelec when he was shown an order of the Comelec issuing the Preliminary Injunction (directing respondent RTC Branch 14 and Salazar to cease and desist from implementing the questioned RTC decision).

The RTC in Laoag City on its own also issued a writ of execution on May 29, ordering the execution to install Salazar as the duly elected mayor.

Kinaud said that a commissioner from the Comelec also “ordered” the clerk of court of the poll body not to release copies of the First Division’s cease and desist order.

“The Preliminary Injunction is considered promulgated although Comelec did not release copies to the parties. Its non-release doesn’t render it ineffective,” the lawyer said.  

The RTC in Laoag City has no more jurisdiction to issue the writ of execution because the case is already with the Comelec, Kinaud insisted, as he claimed that all records are with the election body.

Salazar has sought the DILG for the matter but Kinaud said “the ball is with the Comelec and not within the ambit of the powers of the agency.”