Drilon hits 'unlawful and shameless political bullying' of Tupas
Senator Franklin Drilon a known ally of dismissed Governor Niel Tupas Sr. condemned what he termed as "unlawful and shameless political bullying" by the Arroyo administration relative to the Ombudsman's order dismissing Tupas and Board Members Cecilia Capadosa and Domingo Oso, Jr.
"This is even worse than martial law," Drilon, who is still abroad, said in a press statement.
Tupas is a member of the National Executive Council of the Liberal Party (LP) chaired by Drilon.
"The Arroyo administration is making a mockery of the Constitutional guarantee to due process and a fair and speedy trial," Drilon deplored. "Contrary to the claim of the DILG, Governor Tupas has not been formally investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman on the supposed graft charges against him. How can there be a dismissal order against him?"
Drilon said any attempt to unseat Tupas by the DILG would be illegal since the prohibition mandated by the Omnibus Election Code on transfers and suspensions of local officials and employees during the election period has already taken effect.
"They cannot claim that it is a dismissal order based on a criminal (graft) case because if they do that, Gov. Tupas would be denied his Constitutional right to due process and fair trial. And that is against the law and the Constitution," Drilon said.
Earlier, Tupas's battery of lawyers slammed the dismissal order as devoid of due process.
"It is clearly against the law," said provincial legal officer Salvador Cabaluna III.
Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada even claimed that the Ombudsman's order was a clear form of political harassment.
Mejorada suspects it could be the handiwork of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez who has considered Tupas an enemy following Drilon's withdrawal of support from Arroyo.
"He wanted to show that he is not only king in the city but also in the province," Mejorada said.
Drilon revealed that several Malacañang "political operators" has been trying to convince Tupas in the past months to abandon him and the LP and join the Arroyo administration. However, the Iloilo governor has remained steadfast with his political convictions, he added.
Drilon said Malacañang was applying "unlawful and shameless political bullying" tactics against Tupas after realizing that the administration-backed Lakas and Kampi political parties could not find a legitimate candidate who can defeat Tupas as Iloilo governor in the coming elections.
"They tried to field actor Edu Manzano against Tupas but pre-election survey results showed Manzano does not stand a Chinaman's chance against the incumbent governor," said former Camiguin Gov. Antonio Gallardo, now Drilon's chief of staff.
Gallardo added that the "political persecution" of Tupas could be part of Malacañang's attempt to discredit Drilon and the LP following reports that the LP has gained groundswell support in the Western Visayas Region.