Ecija town’s councilors refuse to attend sessions

SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya — At least five members of this town’s municipal legislative council identified with one of the mayoral claimants here have been warned on Friday that they would be arrested for their alleged refusal to attend sessions since their assumption into office more than two weeks ago.

First councilor Helen Dacayo, who was assuming the vice mayoralty post here, yesterday threatened to cause the arrest of her colleagues as the newly elected municipal council has yet to convene since its members assumed their seats last June 30.

However, first-term councilor Regie Valino-Valdez, one of those threatened with arrest, and his party mates in the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) seemed unperturbed by the threat.

Dacayo, whose assumption into the vice mayorship here was being questioned, said she would be compelled to order their arrest or do some coercive measures to warrant their presence in the council meeting.

The councilors, however, argued that Dacayo could not claim the post as vice mayor and as presiding officer as there were pending clarifications and petitions filed before the Supreme Court whether the duly-elected vice mayor, Santiago Dickson, is qualified to take over the mayorship here through the law of succession.

Valdez and her Lakas colleagues said that Dacayo could preside their session in an acting capacity or as officer-in-charge, but never as a full pledged vice mayor of the town and as presiding officer of the council.

The crisis in the municipal council stemmed from the ongoing mayoral row here involving Dickson and lawyer Philip Dacayo.

So as not to paralyze the day-to-day operations of the municipal government, Dacayo and Dickson, who were both claiming to be the town’s duly elected mayor, have agreed to share office, functions and responsibilities while their case being heard by Supreme Court.

Dacayo was basing his assumption into office by virtue of the Comelec Resolution No. 7259 dated June 30, approving and affirming his certificate of candidacy as lawful and legal substitute candidate for his father, the late Solano town mayor Heraldo Dacayo.

The elder Dacayo, who won another three-year term in the last elections, died on May 14, a day after he and partymate, Dickson, were proclaimed mayor and vice mayor here, respectively, along with the eight winning members of the municipal council.

On the other hand, Dickson was basing his assumption into office on the law of succession, which the DILG have earlier concurred and affirmed leading to her oath taking last June 30.

Dacayo took his oath of office before Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos at the Comelec central office in Intramuros, Manila but Dickson also took his oath before Regional Trial Court Judge Jose Rosales of Branch 27 here.

Human rights lawyer Ernesto Salun-at, a Lakas-CMD member here, asked the High Court to intervene in the mayoral dispute. — Charlie Lagasca