Batangas town vice mayor replaces fugitive mayor

MANILA, Philippines – The vice mayor of Mataasnakahoy in Batangas is now the town’s acting mayor after its mayor went into hiding, Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said on Monday.

In an interview over dzMM, Sarmiento said Vice Mayor Henry Laqui assumed the post on Monday. Sarmiento said he sent his representative to the town to remind Laqui about the provision of the Local Government Code regarding vacancies in the office of the local chief executive.

The law states that the vice mayor should take over if the mayor is unable to perform his duties for at least four days.

Sarmiento said it would be impossible for Mayor Jay Ilagan to continue to function as mayor while he remains a fugitive.

Ilagan, who went into hiding last month after he was charged with rape, said he is not giving up his seat. He said he is hiding to protect himself.

According to documents recently obtained by The STAR, a 19-year-old woman, who worked at a hair salon in Quezon City, accused Ilagan of raping her in a pension house in Ormoc City on Nov. 5, 2013.