Tension rise in Norzagaray, suspended mayor cling to post

Mayor Feliciano Legazpi

NORZAGARAY, Bulacan—Tension continue to grip this town as the suspended mayor continue to hold on to his post preventing his vice mayor to assume the position in acting capacity.

However, the vice mayor made assurance not to take hostile action noting that he want a peaceful turn over.

“We will not undertake a hostile action, dahil sinusunod ko lang ang inuutos ng batas,” said Vice Mayor Rogelio Santos who was supposed to assume the mayoral position in acting capacity last week following a six months suspension meted by the Ombudsman against Mayor Feliciano Legazpi.

Legazpi was suspended by the Ombudsman based on the charges of oppression and abuse of authority filed by Yolanda Ervas, the municipal budget officer of Norzagaray.

Santos said that residents of Norgaray are getting confused on who is the mayor of the said town.

This is due to the fact that Legazpi continue to stay in his office and claims that he is not suspended yet because the Ombudsman has not acted on his motion for reconsideration.

Acting Mayor Rogelio Santos

According to  Santos , the resolution of the Ombudsman is clear and it was echoed in the order issued by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Signed by Florida Dija, the DILG regional director, the order states that Legazpi is ”hereby directed to cease and desist from exercising the powers and performing the duties and responsibilities as Mayor of the Norzagaray, Bulacan.”

As elected vice mayor of Norzagaray,  Santos  was directed in the same order to temporarily assume the function of acting mayor while the suspension is in effect.

Santos  said that he issued a memorandum to all municipal department heads last week, asking them to report to him, but none followed.

The department head still heeds Legazpi who claims that the Ombudsman’s decision and the DILG order is not final and executory.

Legazpi also said that he did not personally received the order of the DILG regional director, instead, it was received by the municipal human resources officer who later returned the order to the DILG regional office.

Legazpi while performing his duties as mayor

In an interview, Legazpi insisted that  Santos ’ moves were premature and politically motivated.

However,  Santos  said he not politics in involved in his assumption as acting mayor.

He even said that he is not running for reelection as vice mayor.

“Kung  talagang gusto ko ang posisyon ninyo, dapat  sana  ay kumandidato akong mayor, pero ang kandidatura ko sa 2013 ay para konsehal lang,”  Santos  said and reiterated that he is just following the DILG order.

Santos  was first elected as municipal councilor in the 2004 elections when he ran under the banner of the Aksyon Demokratiko.

In 2007, Legazpi asked him to become his running mate and they won.  They were both reelected in 2010 for the same position. (Dino Balabo)

6 mayoral candidates, 6 others withdrew candidacies in Bulacan

Paombong Mayor Donato Marcos

MALOLOS CITY—Paombong Mayor Donato Marcos, the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and 11 other including five other mayoral candidates in Bulacan withdrew their candidacies.

Of the 12 who formally withdrew, only three were substituted, according to the Lawyer Elmo Duques, the provincial election supervisor in Bulacan.

The candidates who withdrew their candidacies are Pancho Ordanes, an independent candidates for the second congressional district of Bulacan, Lawyer Rustico De Belen, an independent mayoral candidate in the mountain town of Donya Remedios Trinidad (DRT).

Rolando Flores and Pablo Milan, both independent candidates for the mayor in the town of Baliwag and the city of Meycauayan, respectively; Reynaldo Santos, the incumbent vice mayor of Hagonoy who filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) last October for mayor under the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) banner; and Carla Paula Galvez Tan, the incumbent mayor of San Ildefonso town who earlier filed here COC with endorsement from the National Unity Party (NUP).

Atty. Rustico De Belen

Other who withdrew their candidacies are candidates for the municipal councilor’s position in their towns, namely Romeo Rodriguez (Independent, Baliwag), Modesto Espinoza and Kris Blas Ople San Jose who filed files their COC in October in Hagonoy, Leandro Celedonio of Pandi and Erlinda Sigua of the City of San Jose Del Monte.

Duque said that based on their records, Marcos is substitute by his wife Maryanne; while Celedonio and Sigua who are both running under the Liberal Party banner were substituted by Vicente Gatuz and Ananias Dicdican, respectively.

Duque added that some of the candidates withdrew their candidacies as early as October, but there are those that waited until the last two days like Marcos and Santos.

Mayor Carla Paula Galvez-Tan

Marcos, the standard bearer of LP in Paombong town is on his second consecutive term and is only being challenged by Lawyer Isagani Castro, an independent candidate who lost in the mayoral race in the past.

But on December 19, he filed his withdrawal and is substituted by his wife.

Sources said that Marcos’ withdrawal from the race in due to the fact that he was offered a post in the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Marcos was elected as mayor of Paombong in 2007, after serving the remainder of the term of the late Mayor Dominador Gonzales who died in 2005.

He was elected as president of the LMP Bulacan in 2007 and 2010; and last year, he was elected as president of the LMP national directorate.

Vice Mayor Rey Santos

As this developed, De Belen said that his withdrawal from mayoral in DRT is due to loss of interest and concern to continue his private law practice.  He served as head of the Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office from 2010 until his resignation last October.

In Hagonoy town, sources said that Vice Mayor Santos’ withdrawal from the mayoral race is due to financial constraints, but his close friends said that the vice mayor would like to focus his attention to his family. (Dino Balabo)

Bulacan State U keeps SCUAA-III dominance for 16th straight years

MALOLOS CITY—For the 16th straight year, the Bulacan State University (BulSU) emerged victorious in the annual State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association Region III (SCUAA-III) Olympics.

The BulSU Gold Gears bested athletes from 12 other state colleges and universities in Central Luzon by hauling a total of 121 gold medals after the five day competitions that ended on Friday and hosted by the Ramon Magsaysay Technological University (RMTU).

Most of the sports events were competed at the new Zambales Sports Complex in Iba, Zambales

At distant second is Central Luzon State University (CLSU) with 46 golds; followed by the Bataan Peninsula State College (BPSU) with 27.

Dr. Danilo Hilario, BulSU vice president for external affairs research and extension said that Gold Gear’s dominance of the annual competitions is no secret.

He said that is due to the year round training of athletes under the program developed by Raquel Mendoza, the dean of the College of Physical Education and Recreation (COPERS) of the BulSU.

“We can’t deny the fact that our athlete’s performance is greatly enhanced by our year long training program led by Dean Raquel Mendoza,”Hilario said.

Like in the past, the Gold Gears depended on individual performances in their gold medal haul as they faltered in team sports like men’s basketball which placed third, women’s volleyball, second; and men and women’s softball, second.

The Gold Gear’s performance is also lower that their over-all championship finish in 2010 when they hauled 147 gold medals.

However, in the emerging sports of football, the Gold Gears went undefeated in six games, defeating Tarlac State University twice.

The Gold Gears’ football team defeated TSU 8-1 in the first round and 5-0 in the finals to take their fifth straight SCUAA-III trophy.

Other schools that participated in the 2012 SCUAA-III are Aurora State College of Technology (Ascot), Bulacan Agriculture State College (BASC), Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), Pampanga College of Agriculture (PAC), Tarlac College of Agriculture (TCA), Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University (DHVTSU) in Pampanga, Ramon Magsaysay Technological University (RMTU) in Zambales, Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) in Bataan,  and the Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilsCA) in Pampanga.

Next year, the NEUST will host the 2013 SCUAA-III Olympics.  (Dino Balabo)