Binmaley VM Sues Anew Mayor

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

This coastal first class town is not only the abode of one of the sultriest and prettiest stunners in the country (I met up close and personal before) in the newly crowned 2024 Miss Multinational-Philippines Nikki Buenafe who hailed from Brgy. Buenlag, Binmaley, it is also the acrimonious turf of its top two warring politicians who ceaselessly destroy each other before the public since they assumed office in June 30, 2022.

WARRING Binmaley Vice Mayor Sam Rosario (left) and Mayor Pete Merrera. 

Vice Mayor Sam Rosario told me that he, his son Jonas – the former President of the League of Barangays -, and some lawmakers of the town did not only administratively sue Mayor Pete Merrera at the provincial lawmaking body in Lingayen for violation of Section 60 of the Local Government Code but had sued him with administrative and criminal cases at the Ombudsman (the entity that looks for “probable cause” on cases of the baddie, black hats, malefactors, miscreant, fraudster, to name a few among government officials).

One of the cases filed at the Ombudsman by the Veem was when Merrera chided and threw invectives to three lawmakers that crossed his path and told them to tell their vice mayor in the vernacular: Sabihin niyo sa Vice Mayor niyo na putang In* siya!

Rosario told reporters in one of the pressers he called that he was charged by the “ilk” of the Mayor with 43 cases at the Ombudsman.

Because of the slander allegedly hurled by Merrera to the three aldermen, I surmised Rosario sued the Hizzoner with Oral Defamation or Slander with a jail time of between Arresto Mayor to Prision Correctional as dictated by the Revised Penal Code.

Rosario by the way used to be a long reigning mayor of Binmaley and in one of his terms Merrera was his vice mayor.

I asked Merrera at his office in Tagalog: Totoo ba Mayor na sinabi niyo sa mga Councilors na “Sabihin niyo sa putang In*ng Vice Mayor na iyan…”?

The Hizzoner retorted:  Alam mo ang vice mayor na iyan ay sinungaling marunong gumawa ng istorya. Bakit nandiyan iyan bakit andiyan iyong aking mismong Councilor (Banong) delos Angeles iyan lang naman sabihin niya ang totoo,” he denied the accusation by Rosario and even cited Councilor delos Angeles - who was with one of the three aldermen allegedly disparaged by the mayor – as his ally now.

Mererra exhorted Rosario to tell the truth lest he would be incriminated:

“Dahil sa kasinungalingan niya lalo siya nadidiin lalong lumalabas ang kanyang baho sa kagagawan niya hindi na siya naano. Para sa akin gawin niya ang tama gawin niya ang totoong sinasabi niya. I proved it to him na ang sinasabi niya ay more on fabricated iyong ginagawa niya”.

He denied too that he threw invectives to the three aldermen.

“Hindi ko sila minura pinagsabihan ko lang sila”.

Rosario was unfazed about the “authoritarianism” of Merrera and with his intrepidity he called his administration as dictatorial before the listening reporters.

“Mayor huwag kang manakot. Sindak dito sindak doon. Lumalaban ako I am a product of Martial Law tandaan mo ito Mayor!”

The Veem announced to all and sundry that he will be regaining the mayorship on the May 12, 2025 election. Merrera beat Rosario’s son Jonas in the May 9, 2022 political derby.

Councilor delos Angeles, Rosario told me, withdrew his charged against Merrera. But the veem outsmarted him when he asked him in a session why he retracted his statement against the Mayor. Councilor delos Angeles retorted as a Christian he forgave the mayor.

“Pinablotter ng three Councilors sa police. Iyon ang evidence ko tapos si Delos Angeles nag retract may record sa SB na inamin nya nang minura ako ni Mayor Peter, hehehe”.

Susmariosep! It seems Councilor Banong was outwitted by his Vice Mayor and he would be – he likes it or not – a witness, although “hostile” as lawyer of the plaintiff, er, People of the Philippines would call.