Merrera can't sue Liga Prexy delos Angeles - Lawyer

BINMALEY – The lawyer of the newly elected president of the Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Barangays) opined that Malindong Barangay Chairman and lawyer Arsenio Merrera can not sue his client and his officers because their election was above board.

THREAT: Former hold-over Liga President Arsenio Merrera
(holding a microphone) of Binmaley, Pangasinan
 lectured fellow village chiefs about the illega-
lity of their plan to call an election for the
Liga ng mga Barangay in November 9.
He threatened to sue those who would not
heed his call.

Despite the legal threat from their former Liga President
 Arsenio Merrera, Balogo Barangay Chairman Douglas
delos An-geles (extreme left), the newly elected Liga ng
Barangay President of Binmaley, Pangasinan, raised the
 hands of his elected officers. 

Lawyer Manuel Manuel said the November 9 election of Angeles and his officers here have been sanctioned by their December 4  meeting after they filled their candidacy on that date.

“There was an actual meeting. They took it upon themselves to call the meeting because he no longer called a meeting after the first meeting,” he stressed.

He said it was not true as alleged by Merrera to the media that there was no quorum on December 4 since the majority of the barangay chiefs who supported Balogo Barangay Chairman Douglas delos Angeles were in the other building.

The December 4 meeting sets the agenda for the December 9 election where 18 of the 33 village chiefs attended and elected delos Angeles at the Central School here despite the threat of Merrera to sue some of them with criminal usurpation because they imitated his function and those of the officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Commission on Election on calling the December 4 and 9 meetings.

But Manuel downplayed the threat and instead commented that the election jibed with memorandum circular No.2013-139 dated December 2 that was signed by Secretary Mar Roxas of the DILG for an election to be held 30 days after the October 28 barangay polls.

He explained that in the first place Merrera has no personality to preside the December 9 assembly because he is an unannounced Liga candidate.

But Merrera denied he was a candidate for the post.

Merrera is identified with Mayor Sam Rosario and Vice Mayor Pete Merrera - his brother, while delos Angeles is a supporter in the May 13, 2013 election of defeated mayoral candidate Lorenzo Cerezo.

“Just like in the Sanguniang if the presiding office has sponsored a resolution or will sponsor an ordinance he will relinquish his position as presiding officer from the (legislative) body as there will be an acting presiding officer (to replace him)”.

Merrera denied that he has a moist eye on the presidency but was only following the provision of the Liga ng mga Barangay Election Code where Section 1 mandates that the president duly assisted by the government officer aforementioned shall notify, in writing, all the above concerned at least twenty-five (25) days before the scheduled election meeting on the exact date, time, place, and requirements of the said meeting.

“I told them already before that I am not obsessed about the position we have to apply the rule of law. And whoever will win I am always willing to vacate this position, “he said when asked by Northern Watch that he was blocking the election as assailed by the camp of delos Angeles because he wants to preserve his post as an Ex-Officio member of the town council.