Pagdanganan-Mendoza standoff grips Bulacan

(Updated Feb. 11 1:00 a.m.) Tension gripped Bulacan's provincial capitol as former Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan and his supporters entered the provincial capitol Wednesday night, even as unseated Governor Joselito “Jonjon" Mendoza vowed not to vacate his office after losing in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recount. As reported over QTV’s News on Q, Pagdanganan arrived with his supporters at the capitol past 7 p.m. Wednesday and forced his way through a police barricade. He reached the Blas Ople Bldg. inside the compound, where he said he will temporarily hold office until Mendoza steps down. “Tayo na ang nanunungkulan bilang gobernador (I am now officially serving as governor). I’ve taken the oath of office. Ipinatupad itong writ, at ito po ay bibigyan natin ng katarungan (The Comelec writ has been ordered implemented and we will give justice to it)," Pagdanganan said. He added that while he appeals for calm, he will order first thing on Thursday morning the dismantling of the barricade set up by Mendoza’s supporters fronting the capitol. The Comelec issued on Tuesday a resolution junking Mendoza’s appeal and allowing Pagdanganan—which the poll body earlier ruled as the rightful winner of the 2007 local elections— to immediately assume the gubernatorial post. (See: Comelec allows Pagdanganan to assume Bulacan gubernatorial post) Mendoza won’t vacate office Mendoza however said also on Wednesday that he has no plans of vacating his office despite the Comelec decision. Mendoza said that he would go as far as preventing authorities who would force him to vacate his office, since he has not yet received a copy of the Comelec resolution issued on Tuesday allowing Pagdanganan to take over as Bulacan governor. “Kung ang sinasabi niya, mag-a-assume siya dahil may pinanghahawakan siya, wala pa kaming hawak na kahit ano. At kung dumating man sa amin ‘yung desisyon coming from the Comelec, may karapatan kami para pumunta pa sa Supreme Court. Napakahaba pa nitong prosesong ito," Mendoza said in the same newscast. (If Pagdanganan is saying that he is assuming the gubernatorial post because he already has the ruling, we have not received anything yet. And even if the Comelec ruling reaches us, we have the right to file an appeal with the Supreme Court. This process is still going to take very long.) Mendoza likewise said in a separate interview that his camp would still file a temporary restraining order (TRO) before the Supreme Court to prevent Pagdanganan from assuming the post. “We are asking former governor Pagdanganan to give us two to three days to file a TRO. Ito talaga ang plano namin. Talagang sinalbahe kami ng Comelec dito (This was really our plan. Comelec did us a grave wrong on this one)," he said over ANC. Barricade, prayer vigil The Comelec unseated Mendoza after a recount showed that he obtained only 337,974 votes while his rival Pagdanganan received 342,295 votes—a margin of 4,321 votes in his rival’s favor. The unseated governor and his supporters showed opposition to the recent Comelec ruling, barricading the area in front of the Bulacan provincial capitol with two trucks and conducting a prayer vigil in the provincial plaza. Pagdanganan and his supporters, however, insisted on entering the provincial capitol, saying that the unseated governor should not act like he is “above the law."
“Hindi tama na itong binabarikada. Ito’y hindi kapitolyo ni Mendoza. Kapitolyo ito ng Bulacan (This barricade is wrong. This isn’t the capitol of Mendoza. It’s the capitol of Bulacan)," he said. Pagdanganan appealed to Mendoza to peacefully turn over the post to him. “Ako’y nananawagan sa mga mamamayan natin na mahilig naman sa katahimikan na igalang natin ang batas… Kaya po ako’y nakakasiguro na kung itong si Jonjon Mendoza ay hindi susunod sa batas, tatanggalin siya ng batas," he said. (I’m calling on our people who love peace for us to respect the law… That’s why I’m certain that if this Jonjon Mendoza won’t follow the law, then he’ll be removed by the law.) ‘Vendetta politics’ Mendoza, however, told News on Q that he sees politics behind his ouster, after he and his sister, former Bulacan governor Josie Mendoza, switched from the administration party to the Liberal Party. "Seven days after kaming manumpa sa Liberal, lumabas ‘yung decision, December 1. Tingin namin, ito’y bahagi ng mga move ng tao para bigyan ng example ‘yung mga pulitikong aalis ng administrasyon (Seven years after we took the Liberal Party oath, the decision was issued, December 1. We see this as part of moves to show an example of what will happen to politicians who leave the administration camp.) The Liberal Party earlier accused the Arroyo administration of “vendetta politics" against at least three of the party’s governors: Mendoza, Grace Padaca of Isabel and Ed Panlilio of Pampanga, which the Comelec has denied. (See: LP allies hit Arroyo gov’t for ‘vendetta politics vs 3 governors) As of posting time, Mendoza’s supporters continue to flock to the capitol for a program and a prayer vigil to last until Wednesday midnight.—JMA/JV, GMANews.TV