Año: There is ground to withdraw Guimbal Mayor Garin’s authority over local police

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Thursday there is a clear ground for the withdrawal of the authority of Guimbal, Iloilo Mayor Oscar Garin Sr. over local police after the latter and his son, Iloilo Representative Richard Garin, mauled a police officer.

Año said the DILG will take stern disciplinary measures against the Guimbal mayor, adding that he will not tolerate such abuse of authority and behavior.

“What the congressman and the mayor did was abuse of authority and display of arrogance; a conduct unbecoming of men in authority and well-deserving of punishment,” he said in a press statement.

“I will not tolerate this kind of behavior and will order the removal of Mayor Garin’s deputation authority over the Guimbal police once the investigation results are out,” the DILG chief added.

He said "the incident is a clear ground for the withdrawal of Mayor Garin's authority over the local Philippine National Police (PNP) unit."

The mayor and his son allegedly disarmed, handcuffed, slapped, and spat on Police Officer 3 Federico Macaya around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday.

Richard Garin said he was upset that Macaya asked a victim to withdraw his complaint against a suspect.

Western Visayas Police regional director Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao has requested the National Police Commission, which is under the DILG, to remove from Mayor Garin the authority over the local PNP.

The politicians’ police escorts were also immediately recalled after Bulalacao learned of the incident.

He added that criminal and administrative cases will be filed against the Garins in the Office of the Ombudsman or the courts as soon as the investigations are concluded.

“The President himself was so disappointed and I will ensure that his order to file cases against the Garins will be complied with immediately,” he said.

He said that based on Section 61 of the Local Government Code of 1991, administrative charges may also be filed against Mayor Garin at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for abuse of authority, oppression, and misconduct in office.

“We will make sure that justice will be served and will run after local chief executives who abuse their authority,” he said.

In the case of Representative Garin, Año said the DILG will recommend to the House of Representatives the imposition of sanction against him.

Bulalacao earlier said that they will also file criminal charges for grave threat against Mayor Garin while charges for physical injuries, alarm and scandal, direct assault against an agent of person in authority and grave coercion will be filed against Representative Garin. — RSJ, GMA News