ILOILO CITY- For the second straight day, dismissed Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas refused to leave his post and has continued to stay the governor's office at the third floor of the five-story provincial capitol.

"It's business as usual and I am still the governor," Tupas said.

Newly-inducted Gov. Roberto Armada and Vice Gov. Emmanuel Gallar had not gone to the provincial capitol as of 3 p.m. yesterday.

Armada has called on Tupas to abide by the order to avoid confusion and violence.

Tupas and Armada have both issued their own memorandum to department heads and other offices under the provincial government saying they are the legitimate officials.

Around 700 supporters of Tupas continued to camp out at the grounds of the provincial capitol. The operations of the offices have returned to normal but entry to the building is still restricted.

Vehicles and Tupas supporters have blocked the driveway to the capitol to prevent Armada and Gallar from entering the building.

Lawyers of Tupas went to Cebu yesterday to file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals against the dismissal order.

Calling the move "political vindictiveness," five governors of Western Visayas allied with President Macapagal-Arroyo have condemned the dismissal of Tupas from office.

"We feel that Governor Tupas was not given due process and the order to dismiss him came like a thief in the night," Antique Gov. Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez said in a telephone interview.

Perez, chair of the Regional Development Council, said the governors have been consulting each other through phone and have decided to issue a manifesto expressing their collective stand on the dismissal of Tupas.

Aside from Perez, the manifesto will be signed by Governors Carlito Marquez (Aklan), Vicente Bermejo (Capiz), JC Rahman Nava (Guimaras) and Joseph Marañon (Negros Occidental).

The Department of Interior and Local Government implemented the dismissal of Tupas and provincial board members Cecilia Capadosa and Domingo Oso on Monday after the Ombudsman found the three officials guilty of grave misconduct for illegally disbursing a total of P85,000 to the regional chapter of the provincial board members league in 2004.

The officials were also permanently barred from holding public office and their retirement benefits were ordered forfeited.

Perez said the governors believed that the dismissal order was done and implemented hurriedly. "The timing is bad," Perez said, noting that the order was made public last Friday which is also two days before the start of the election period.

Tupas and Perez were close allies in the Liberal Party before Tupas and former Senate President Franklin Drilon broke ties with the President on July 2005. Perez belongs to the LP faction headed by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

Perez said that despite breaking ties with the administration, Tupas has been very cooperative and supportive of the President's program especially on tourism and infrastructure projects.

She said the President even invited Tupas during her meeting with Western Visayas officials in Iloilo City last December.

"Tupas is a very popular and strong governor and he has no opponent (in the May elections)," Perez said.

She warned those behind the order that the dismissal of Tupas could result in a "terrible backlash against the President."

Perez refused to name those responsible, saying this is already publicly known. Tupas' camp had blamed the President's staunch ally, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez as behind his ouster but this has been repeatedly denied by Gonzalez.

"We do not want to be part of this (political vindictiveness) because the President has been calling for unity even with her political opposition," Perez said.

She said the governors are also wary on how Tupas was treated.

"If this can be done to Governor Tupas, this can also happen to us governors," said Perez. "We have to unite against this."

She said the backlash could affect the image of the President and the campaign of the administration's senatorial candidates. She pointed out that the governors will be the ones carrying the burden because they will be campaigning in the grassroots.

League of Provinces of the Philippines President Erico Aumentado said in a radio interview that the LPP has issued a resolution calling on the DILG and the Office of the Ombudsman to "follow the rule of law" with regards to administrative cases faced by local government officials.

He said they are serious by concerned about the claim of Tupas that he was not accorded due process.

He said they will support the move of Tupas to question the dismissal order before the CA or the Supreme Court.*NPB

back to top