Police bars suspended Bangui mayor from entering office

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Bangui, Ilocos Norte—Three months and eight days following the suspension of the municipal chief executive here, elected Bangui Mayor Diosdado Garvida attempted to enter his old office on Feb. 23 but was barred by local police officers.

The mayor’s office has been padlocked since November 14 and it shall only be opened after the mayor’s six months suspension is served or until an order from “higher authorities” say so.

Mr. Garvida’s suspension order stemmed from an administrative complaint filed against him for alleged indiscriminate firing.

Earlier, Mr. Garvida’s camp through his lawyer appealed the suspension to the Office of the President.

On January 29, a letter from Malacañang ordered the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to explain and forward all related documents pertaining to the mayor’s suspension.

On Feb. 23, Mr. Garvida went to the municipal hall and met with the department heads saying he is now reporting back to work.

But his attempt to enter the mayor’s office was prevented by police authorities along with Ilocos Norte government legal officer Jason Bader Perreira when the suspended mayor failed to present an order reversing the SP’s earlier decision to suspend him for six months.

Mr. Garvida insists he has a “stay order” from the Office of the President.

Mr. Perreira however explained that the letter from Malacañang dated January 29 was just an inquiry and “not executory” in nature.

“The letter is not an order at all. He (Mr. Garvida) can’t just assume office unless there’s an order from Malacañang,” Mr. Pereira explained in an interview.

To scale down the tension at the municipal hall, Mr. Perreira held a meeting with the department heads saying Mr. Garvida’s claim to assume office with the absence of an order telling him to do so is not binding.

As mandated by law, he said Bangui Vice Mayor Fidel Cimatu shall remain as the acting mayor of Bangui to ensure smooth flow of operation at the municipal hall.

In a separate interview, Mr. Cimatu, also a retired general, asked the municipal employees of Bangui to remain calm and proceed with their duties and responsibilities.

“There is nothing to worry. There is no untoward incident. Everything is under control,” Mr. Cimatu said.

Comments

Free dormitories eyed for Nueva Era students in LC, Batac

Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida By Dominic B. dela Cruz ( Staff Reporter) Nueva Era , Ilocos Norte—The municipal government here, headed by Nueva Era mayor Aldrin Garvida is planning to establish dormitories in the cities of Laoag and Batac that will exclusively cater to college students from the said cities. “Sapay la kuma ta maituloyen iti mabiit tay ar-arapaapen tayo ken iti munisipyo a maipatakderan kuma dagiti annak tayo a college students nga agbasbasa idiay siyudad iti Batac ken Laoag iti libre a dormitoryo a bukod da ngem inggana nga awan pay ket an-anusan mi paylaeng nga ibaklay kenni apo bise mayor iti pagbayad da iti kasera aggapu iti bukod mi a suweldo malaksid dagitay it-ited iti munisipyo ken iti barangay nga stipend da kada semester, ” Garvida said. Garvida added that the proposed establishment of dormitories would be a big help to the students’ parents as this would shoulder the expenses of their children for rent and likewise they would feel more secured

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become an annua

P29 per kilo rice sold to vulnerable groups in Ilocos region

BBM RICE. Residents buy rice for only PHP29 per kilo at the NIA compound in San Nicolas town, Ilocos Norte province on Sept. 13, 2024. The activity was under a nationwide pilot program of the government to sell quality and affordable rice initially to the vulnerable sectors. (Lei Adriano) San Nicolas , Ilocos Norte —Senior citizens, persons with disability, and solo parents availed of cheap rice sold at PHP29 per kilogram during the grand launching of the Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM) Rice held at the National Irrigation Administration compound in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte province on Sept. 13, 2024. “ Maraming salamat Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa inyong pagmamahal sa Region 1 lalong-lalo na sa bayan namin sa San Nicolas,” said Violeta Pasion, a resident Brgy. 18 Bingao in this town. The low-priced grains were sourced from the National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) contract farming with irrigators' association members in the province. Along with Pasion, Epi

The Ilocos Times

Search This Blog