Fugitive Batangas mayor surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - The mayor of Mataasnakahoy in Batangas surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation yesterday after more than a year in hiding.

Mayor Jay Manalo Ilagan, who went into hiding after he was charged with rape, said he wanted to clear his name.

A 19-year-old woman, who worked at a hair salon in Quezon City, accused Ilagan of raping her in a pension house in Ormoc City on Nov. 5, 2013. 

Ilagan said he had never been to Ormoc. He said he was officiating at a wedding at the town hall when the alleged rape occurred.

He said his political rivals were behind the filing of the complaint after he exposed the ghost projects involving a renowned contractor.

Ilagan was also charged with illegal possession of firearms following a raid on his farm last December. Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group seized several high-powered firearms and arrested one of his aides.

Mataasnakahoy Vice Mayor Henry Laqui assumed the post of acting mayor last week on orders of Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento.

Sarmiento said it would be impossible for Ilagan to continue to function as mayor while he remained a fugitive.