Pampanga town has two mayors

MAGALANG, Pampanga -- Two personalities are now acting as the municipal mayor here -- Mayor Lyndon Cunanan and Mayor Romulo "Romy" Pecson. Cunanan issued a memorandum last Wednesday informing department heads of the local government unit that he is still the town mayor here. Pecson, on the other hand, also issued a similar memorandum. He even sent a formal communication to banking institutions advising them not to honor the signature of Cunanan. Cunanan, as of Thursday afternoon, was holding office at the mayor's office situated at the second floor of the town hall, while Pecson was staying at the Municipal Administrator's Office at the adjacent building. Both Cunanan and Pecson have been staying at the municipal hall for two days now. A riot nearly broke out before noon Thursday as Vice Mayor Norman Lacson, an ally of Pecson, tried to occupy his office at the second floor. Accompanied by his supporters, Lacson was prevented by Cunanan's men from occupying his office. A minor confrontation erupted. Some supporters of the rival camps threw stones and other hard objects at each other. Fortunately, policemen belonging to the Pampanga Provincial Mobile Group were able to contain the commotion. The problem arose after the Regional Trial Court (RTC) issued on Tuesday an order for the implementation of a writ of execution pending appeal which directs Pecson to "act, perform, and discharge the duties, functions, and responsibilities and all incidents appertaining to and in connection with the Office of the Municipal Mayor." The same writ also declared as null and void Cunanan's proclamation as town mayor by the municipal board of canvassers on May 17, 2007. But Cunanan refused to step down as town mayor claiming that the lower court no longer has jurisdiction over their case. Angeles City RTC Branch 56 Judge Irin Zenaida Buan said in her ruling that the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued earlier by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against Pecson has already expired, paving the way for Pecson to assume the mayoralty seat. On December 3, 2007, the RTC concluded the revision of the ballots here and declared Pecson as the real winner in the May 2007 elections. The judge ruled that in the revision that Pecson obtained 14,897 votes while Cunanan had only 13,758 votes. Pecson, however, was not able to sit as mayor after Cunanan got a TRO from the Comelec. Last Tuesday, Cunanan ordered the padlocking of the gate and the front door of the Municipal Hall. He and his men locked themselves up in the mayor's office and refused to honor the court order. He even said that the RTC has no jurisdiction over his case, adding that he will only step down if the Comelec or the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered him to vacate his post. Buan's order directs the DILG provincial director, the Comelec municipal officer, and the town's police chief "to render their assistance in the enforcement/implementation of the writ of execution." - Sun.Star