Baquerfo threatens to arrest Granada

CEBU, Philippines - Tudela Mayor Rogelio Baquerfo yesterday threatened to have Demetrio Granada arrested if he continues to act as town mayor.

"Kung magsigi pa gihapon ni siya ug samok-samok, ipaaresto ko na gyud ni siya," Baquerfo said in an interview with the press yesterday at Casino Español.

Baquerfo insisted that he is the duly elected mayor of the town following his filing of a motion for reconsideration with the Commission on Elections.

"This is just a resolution from Comelec, not a decision. I am still the sitting mayor of Tudela," Baquerfo said as he hopes that his town will finally achieve peace and concentrate more on providing basic services to the people.

It can be recalled that the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 of Danao City issued an order dated last January 9 granting the motion for execution filed by Granada pending appeal which in effect declared Granada as the mayor of Tudela and nullified the declaration of Baquerfo as mayor after the May 2007 elections.

Baquerfo was declared mayor by Comelec in the May 2007 elections with a margin of eight votes against Granada, who later filed an election protest.

During the judicial recount, Granada won by a margin of 13 votes against Baquerfo.

Baquerfo also said that because of this political bickering, his municipality has remained poor and is in fact considered as a sixth-class municipality.

He said that he wanted to at least elevate his town into a fourth-class municipality. – Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)