The News Today Online

Batad mayor hits back on guv over ‘financier’ tag of arrested fishers

By Florence F. Hibionada

First he was tagged as “protector” of illegal fishers. Now he was to become the “financier” of a group of 70 locals arrested for illegal fishing in Mindoro. For Batad Mayor Pedro Alarcon, the “tagging” has gone really far now reason why he came out anew and hit back at his accuser, Governor Niel Tupas, Sr.

The latest mis-event dragged the mayor into the fray after Tupas said in a radio interview that the arrested men all came from Batad and were financed by the town mayor. With the arrest, the Governor told Aksyon Radyo, at least P700,000 to over a million is needed to bail out the Ilonggo fishers.

“Mga tawo na sila ni (They are the men of) Mayor Alarcon ,” he said while adding that the Mayor is the financier of the group.

“Binutig ina tanan ang ginasiling ni governor (What the governor said were all lies),” the mayor began when reached by The News Today for reaction. “Kun tani analisahon anay ni governor ang mga ginasugid sa iya kay man kung kabutigan ang iya nabaton kag amo man ang ginahambal niya, kungdi gua sang gobernador butigon man. Mayor ako, governor siya, sang san-o pa to nga nag-intindihanay na kami nga kung may diperensya sa banwa ko kay ako mayor, pabal-on niya ko anay (The governor should analyze first if the information being fed to him are lies because once he start proclaiming those, then that makes him a liar too. I am the mayor and he is the governor. I told him then that in cases where there are problems regarding my town, he will call on me.)

Indi nga maghambal lang siya sa media sang kung ano nga kabutigan kundi diri man ako sa media masabat. Kalain pa nga diri kami kung tani magsabtanay pero amo lang na ang apelar ko kay gob, nga kung mahimo antis niya pamatian ang report sang iya tawo, siguraduhon niya anay kag tawgan niya ako. Kadamo sang problema sa banwa ko. Ang provincial road namon gani dira sa Barangay Binon-an sa diin dira gahalin ang istorya sang tinawo niya, napabayaan na. Tani man lang, analisahon gid ni gob ang ginasugid sa iya (Not that he will just go to the media with those lies. That pushes me to do the rebuttal here as well. It is not good that we argue here so I appeal to the governor that before he even listens to his men and their reports, he has validated the matter. There are so many problems faced by my town. The provincial road where his informant hails has not been taken cared of. If only the governor will analyze what is told to him….”)

Lies too, Mayor Alarcon pointed out on the reported P100,000 minimum bail for each of the arrested Ilonggo fishers. Lies still, the assertion that all 70 were his men.

The Batad Mayor admits to sending five from the group caught in Mindoro as he clarified that nothing was illegal with the business he was involved in.

“Anong illegal sa pagbakal sang balat? (What is illegal in buying sea cucumber?),” he asked. “Ang problema na da kay si gob gapinagusto lang sang hambal niya. (The problem there is that the governor just says whatever he wants.)