Malonzo’s son a no-show; council rejects appointment

Former Caloocan City Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo’s son, who was sworn in by a judge of the local courts to assume a vacant seat in the City Council failed to report for work at City Hall yesterday for still undisclosed reasons.

Christopher Malonzo, a replacement for the late Councilor Eduardo Rosca, could not be immediately reached for comment.

This developed as Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrat partymates of the former mayor led by now Majority Floor Leader Henry Cammayo yesterday scrambled to keep the young Malonzo from assuming the disputed seat.

In a statement, Cammayo said they have prepared a resolution urging President Arroyo to reconsider and reverse her decision to appoint Malonzo’s son to fill up the vacancy left in the City Council by Rosca’s demise last month.

Cammayo and other councilor-partymates, who felt bypassed by the former city mayor’s unilateral decision to recommend his own son as Rosca’s replacement in the City Council, are now at loggerheads with the former city mayor, who is still Lakas head in the city, even as the former has endorsed Kristen Joy Rosca, a daughter of the late councilor, to fill up the vacancy left by her father.

Cammayo, spokesman of the Lakas members in the council, said they cannot accept and refuse to acknowledge the appointment of the young Malonzo "because it is not the statement and the consensus of the city councilors."

He said his colleagues condemn the former mayor’s dictator-style of leadership as demonstrated by Malonzo’s pushing for the appointment of his son without consulting with the Lakas party members in Caloocan City.

"Ang ginawa ni (former mayor) Malonzo ay tahasang pagsuway sa prinsipyo ng Lakas sa konsultasyon dahil siya lamang ang nagdesisyon para italaga ang kanyang anak," Cammayo said.

The young Malonzo, an Economics graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas, took his oath last Friday before Caloocan Ctiy Regional Trial Court Judge Victoria Isabel Paredes at the Caloocan City Hall of Justice and said he would report for work beginning yesterday.

The city council is also set to deliberate on the proposed resolution appealing to the President to reconsider her appointment of the young Malonzo.

The councilor stressed it is no longer appropriate for Malonzo to insist on the appointment as "he is no longer the leader of Caloocan."

"Sana matuto siyang tumanggap ng pagkatalo at handa siya sa pagtanggap ng mga kabiguan sa kanyang buhay," Cammayo said. Cammayo said the city Lakas chapter members including Vice Mayor Luis "Tito" Varela, Councilors Dante Prado, Rose Mercado, Ernesto Cunanan, Alex Aruelo, Gualberto Bacolod and Divine Margallo have been conducting meetings so that the true sentiments of the party will prevail and be heard by the President.

The councilors, Cammayo said, learned the former mayor wrote three letters to Malacañang to push for the appointment of his son. 

The elder Malonzo had insisted that his son’s appointment was "in accordance with the law."

"We only follow the law and those opposing the appointment are not above the law," he said.

The former mayor warned the councilors to be responsible enough for their action as "it is not the Malonzos they are now fighting, but Malacañang." – With Pete Laude