Iligan city has ‘two mayors,’ too, as court junks TRO

By Nora Sorino and Sita Asequia
of GSD-Iligan Bureau

ILIGAN City–Like Cagayan de Oro, Iligan has “two mayors,” too.

Tension has been gripping this city again since Tuesday as supporters of Mayor Celso Regencia trooped to city hall following an announcement that outgoing Vice Mayor Ruderic Marzo has assumed as acting mayor again.

This came after Judge Ali Omra Bacaraman of the 4th branch of the Regional Trial Court of Lanao del Norte issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against an earlier court order that stopped Marzo from serving as acting mayor because Regencia has been detained in connection with the 2014 attempt on the life of Iligan Rep. Vicente Belmonte.

Bacaraman, in effect, TRO’d the TRO issued by regional Judge Arthur Abundiente, said Councilor Emmanuel Salibay of the recent court ruling that overturned Abundiente’s TRO and writ of preliminary injunction.

Salibay said a motion to throw out the TRO and preliminary injunction had been filed by lawyer Tomas Cabili earlier.

Based on the law, that should have been decided within six months but there was none, and that was one of the reasons why Abundiente’s ruling was overturned, Salibay said.

Marzo assumed as acting mayor again on Tuesday, said Salibay, describing it as a “last two minutes” move.

Marzo lost no time in issuing an executive order naming Hospicio Paragoso as acting budget officer, Virginia Mirasol as acting city treasurer, and Delia Sausa as city accountant.

Paragoso has reportedly  declined to follow Marzo’s order.

City budget officer Marina Jumalon, city treasurer Marina Jumalon and city accountant Rey Clavano are all on leave.

City legal officer Voltaire Rovira said Regencia, who will start serving his second office term today, has directed him to block Marzo’s executive order.

Rovira has issued a memorandum, warning that those who followed Marzo’s order would be charged in court.

He said the recent TRO was not final and executory, pointing out that Regencia has 15 days to appeal the decision.

Marzo, who lost to Regencia in the May elections, and his group suffered major defeat here–the reelected mayor and 10 of his 12 candidates for city council seats won.