Supreme Court orders status quo in Bulacan governorship row

MALOLOS, Bulacan, Philippines – Gov. Roberto Pagdanganan, the declared winner in the 2007 Bulacan gubernatorial elections, was stopped from assuming his post at the provincial capitol on orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

Speaking to reporters at his temporary office at the provincial capitol, Pagdanganan said he will abide by the SC order and will tell his supporters to go home.

Pagdanganan said Sixto Brillantes, ousted Gov. Joselito Mendoza’s lawyer, should be investigated for announcing on television yesterday the SC’s status quo order favoring his client.

“I think he should be investigated because he appeared to be speaking in behalf of the Supreme Court,” he said.

“It’s an insult to the integrity of the Supreme Court.”

Meanwhile, former governor Josie de la Cruz, elder sister of Mendoza, said they will send their supporters home and reopen the Provincial Capitol today.

“We will wait for the final verdict, but for the meantime, we are appealing to Bulakenyos to remain calm and wait for the final verdict,” she said.

Mendoza made no comment when he went out of the Capitol building after a thanksgiving Mass yesterday afternoon.

SC order is for 7 days

At the SC, Midas Marquez, court administrator and SC spokesman, said the order will take effect for at least seven days or until March 16 when the justices are expected to resolve Mendoza’s petition questioning the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to oust him.

“This means that the prevailing condition prior to filing of the petition - where Mendoza is still the governor - shall remain,” he said.

“Pending resolution of the Court of the merits of his petition, Gov. Mendoza shall remain in his position for the next seven days.”

The case has been submitted for resolution in the SC session on Tuesday next week, Marquez said.

Through Brillantes, Mendoza asked the SC to review decisions of the Comelec’s Second Division which also ousted Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca and Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio.

“The pattern in all of the three protest cases is most ominous,” he said.

“There is something terribly wrong in the adjudication of the above case - both in the division level and in the en banc for which the Honorable Court should not allow to bear any further illicit consequences through the immediate issuance of a temporary restraining order/ status quo ante order.”

“Enforcement (of the Comelec writ against Mendoza) is a totally different matter, it would still take time, they (Pagdanganan’s camp) would have to go to the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) and the police to enforce this (writ),” he said.

“The people of Obet Pagdanganan have no business enforcing the writ, if they enforce the writ then the people of Gov. Mendoza will prevent them,” he said.

Interior Secretry Ronaldo Puno said since Pagdanganan has already taken his oath as Bulacan governor, the DILG will seek a legal clarification on the SC order.

The Comelec declared last Feb. 8 that Pagdanganan is the duly elected Bulacan governor, getting 342,295 votes against Mendoza’s 337,974 votes.

It directed Mendoza to stop performing the functions of governor and granted Pagdanganan’s plea for the issuance of a writ of immediate execution.

Puno said the latest revamp at the Central Luzon police has nothing to do with politics, particularly on the gubernatorial post.

Last Monday, Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac took over the Central Luzon police, replacing Chief Superintendent Nilo de la Cruz, who was promoted as the head of the Directorate for Plans.

Puno said the reshuffle should not be linked with the dispute between Mendoza and Pagdanganan.

“In fact, both Pagdanganan and Mendoza had wanted the old PNP provincial director in Bulacan retained, but both requests went unheeded,” he said.

Police regional and provincial officials were reshuffled to ensure that the police force will be non-partisan during the election period, he added. – Dino Balabo, Edu Punay, Cecille Suerte Felipe