Confusion marks first day of acting Rodriguez mayor

MANILA, Philippines - Confusion marked the first day of office of acting Rodriguez, Rizal Mayor Jonas Cruz yesterday, as employees and residents transacting business with the town hall were in a quandary as to whom to deal with because of the insistence of suspended Mayor Pedro Cuerpo that he’s still the sitting local chief executive.

Cuerpo remained holed up in his office despite the Sandiganbayan’s 90-day suspension order against him and continued exercising mayoral functions.

As to who would sign checks for the municipal government was still debated upon, as Cuerpo issued on Monday a memorandum to all department heads that he’s still the sitting mayor.

“We don’t know whom to deal with. This brouhaha should be resolved immediately because it is us who are hurting with this continuing political squabble,” a resident told The STAR.

Not a single department head showed up in an emergency meeting that Cruz called for to allow a representative of the Department of the Interior and Local Government to explain Cuerpo’s suspension.

Cruz said he ordered all departments, especially the treasurer’s office, to put on hold transactions coming from Cuerpo.

“There should be no checks released with Mayor Cuerpo’s signature while he is under suspension,” he said.

Apparently expecting the DILG suspension order, Cuerpo holed himself up in his office on Sunday and vowed not to leave pending the hearing of his second motion for reconsideration tomorrow.

His suspension stemmed from a complaint over the demolition of 60 temporary tents in Burgos village in 2004.

Cuerpo insisted that the suspension order is not yet final and executory, and that it was “politically motivated.”

Meanwhile, Rizal Gov. Casimiro Ynares III refused to “dignify” Cuerpo’s claim that he was behind the suspension.

“This is an old, standard and rehashed accusation that the mayor uses every time he gets into trouble with the courts. I do not wish to dignify it. This is an issue strictly between him, the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan,” Ynares said.