Girlet
is ‘caretaker’ mayor; Michael as VM
OZAMIZ
CITY—The the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has named new
leaders of the executive and legislative branches of this city, respectively,
following the rule on succession.
The
DILG said Second councilor Irene Girlet Luansing is the acting mayor left
vacant by incumbent Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. who died last Sunday.
With
Luansing filling the vacancy of the vice mayors’ seat is third councilor
Michael Tagal as incumbent Vice Mayor Princess Nova Parojinog Echavez is in the
custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
This
information was sourced August 1 from Catalino Uy, DILG officer-in-charge. According
to the DILG, Councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog should have been the acting
mayor but he is presently at-large and is hunted by the PNP.
This
leaves Luansing and Tagal, who obtained the second and third highest number of
votes, respectively, in the 2016 elections, to take over, Cuy was quoted by
media.
The
City Council convened yesterday to make the transition of power official.
As
for Echavez, the DILG said “she is physically fit to function but is barred
from assuming the post held by her father because of a court decision.”
In
other developments, The Philippine Preview was informed that Jeffrey Ocang, City
legal officer said, "It will be the Vice Mayor who will function as Mayor
of the City."
Ocang
has been quoted as saying the vice mayor was illegible for the position “because
she is still under detention and she’s not yet pronounced guilty by a court of
law.”
Meanwhile,
a Facebook group called “Barog Ozamiz,” an anti-Parojinog public discussion group,
branded Luansing’s close affiliation to the mayor’s family, being a cousin of
the mayor’s wife, Susan and the aunt of Ardot’s live-in partner, Board Member
Mena Abamongs Luansing.
The
group believes the sympathy and loyalty to the Parojinog transcend to Girlet’s “and
it goes beyond boundaries.”
“Musugot
mog sa dli wala moy mahimo. Okay kayo ko ana Michael Tagal kaila kayo ko ana
ilang pamilya mga ligdong na ilang pagkatawo pure nga lungon ra ang negosyo ana;
ang kuyaw kana Luansing kay cousin na ni Susan Parujinog mao nay angay bantayan,”
a member posted her opinion to their wall.
To
recall, Mayor Parojinog, his wife Susan and 13 others died after a clash against
police operatives in a simultaneous raid conducted in the houses of the
Parojinogs in San Roque last July 30.
The
Regional Office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG),
Misamis Occidental Provincial Police Office (MOPPO), Provincial Public Safety
Company (PPSC) and Ozamiz City Police Station were simultaneously serving six
search warrants against properties of the mayor and other Parojinog family
members for violation of illegal possession of firearms under Republic Act
10591 when they were met with violent resistance at about 2:30 a.m.
City
PNP Chief P/Insp. Jovie Espenido has presented to the media all the confiscated
evidences from the raid like the several ammunitions found and the two
cellophane of metamphetamine crystals or “shabu” weighing 500 grams and P1.4
million cash.
