Recall move vs 7 Angeles dads up

ANGELES CITY — Amid allegations that Mayor Carmelo Lazatin offered them P50,000 each, some 130 barangay officials signed here a move for the recall of seven out of 10 members of the Sangguniang Panglungsod or city council who were perceived as his political rivals.

The seven councilors came out yesterday with a strongly worded statement accusing Lazatin of "dirty maneuvers towards making the city council a rubber stamp."

Lazatin, however, vehemently denied any participation in the recall move. "Why should they blame me for something that the barangay officials initiated and are pursuing? They lost confidence in the councilors and they don’t have to be paid for expressing their lack of confidence in some members of city council," he told The Star in a telephone interview.

The signature of 110 of the 260 barangay chairmen and barangay council members is needed to recall the seven city council members from their posts. All 10 councilors belong to the Lakas party like Lazatin, but they are perceived to be critical of the mayor.

The seven councilors are Bong Alvaro, Alex Cauguiran, Lito Ganzon, Ares Yabut, Pitong del Rosario, Alex Indiongco, and Louie Reyes.

Those not included in the recall move were Rudy Simeon, Vicky Vega and Sonny Lao.

The beleaguered council members warned that the recall move against them would open old political wounds.

"It will put Angeles in unnecessary disarray and division," they said.

The office of Lazatin sent a fax message to local media quoting various barangay officials accusing the councilors of various charges, including harrassment and political intervention in barangay affairs.

The councilors also denied allegations from Lazatin’s camp that they had been blocking the mayor’s programs.

"Lazatin has never, in all the years he has been mayor, prepared, presented, or proposed a comprehensive program for the city of Angeles. He ran the city in the same manner that he represented the city as member of Congress some years ago — as a wheeler-dealer and dispenser of political favors," the statement also said.