ILOILO City – Vice Mayor Robert Villaruz of Ajuy, Iloilo is “an unwelcome person” in Barangay Lanjagan in the town.
Village officials declared Villaruz a “persona non grata” for his alleged abusive conduct toward two tanods (watchmen) in Sitio Campong Baro during the barangay’s annual fiesta.
Villaruz suggested that he should be exempt from parking his vehicle properly because he is the vice mayor, and manhandled one of the tanods, Barangay Captain Edito Aguillon claimed.
The barangay officials also lodged administrative charges against Villaruz before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas. They accused him of grave misconduct, oppression, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and betrayal of public trust.
Villaruz denied the allegations of Aguillon. He said the barangay officials were just “politicking.”
Tanods Rey Acopio and Geraldine Sayco were making rounds on April 23 when they noticed a double-parked private car, Aguillon told Bombo Radyo Iloilo in an interview on Friday.
They later found out that Villaruz owned the car and the vice mayor was in the house of barangay kagawad Jasmine Pacero at the time, Aguillon said.
Acopio and Sayco went up to Villaruz and kindly asked him to park his car properly. But the vice mayor got angry.
“Ngaa wala ka kabalo sa akon? Vice mayor ako! (Don’t you know me? I’m the vice mayor!)” Aguillon quoted Villaruz as telling Acopio.
Villaruz also grabbed Acopio by the collar and told him to get out of Pacero’s house, claimed Aguillon.
The two tanods told him about the incident and he advised them to file a report with the barangay. Then “we asked the village council to draft a resolution declaring Robert Villaruz as persona non grata,” Aguillon said.
He did not say when the village council approved Resolution No. 1, series of 2018 that made the declaration.
DIFFERENT VERSION
This is all politics, Villaruz told Panay News on Saturday.
“Actually indi lang amo na nga issue ang ginahaboy sa akon subong. Damo-damo nga issue,” he said. He refused to provide details but stressed that these do not affect him because “I’m not guilty.”
Villaruz also had a different version of what transpired in Sitio Campong Baro, Barangay Lanjagan on April 23.
He said he was about to finish eating lunch in the house of Pacero when the father of Sangguniang Bayan (SB) member Carol-V Espinosa, Vicente, went inside and spat on his shirt.
“Manugtapos na ako, manugpuli na. Nagsulod ini si, tiyo ko man e, si taytay ni Carol Espinosa,” Villaruz said. He refused to mention the name of Espinosa’s father. “Naghambal pa gani ako sa iya nga, ‘Tito, maayong udto,’ … and in reaction, ginduplaan ya ako sa bayo. Amo na ang kamatuoran, ang natabo.”
Then Villaruz told Vicente, “‘Tito, ano na imo man?’ siling ko, ‘Respetuhanay lang ta kay naga-respeto man ako sa imo as hinablos.’” He added that SB member Espinosa pacified her father and brought him to the kitchen, and then he decided to go home.
Villaruz also denied grabbing anyone by the collar at the time. He said he is willing to face any charge filed against him.
“Kon mag-file sila [kaso batuk] sa akon, ila naman na choice. Sabton ko lang galing kay ang kamatuoran mangibabaw man ina gihapon,” said the vice mayor./PN
Atty Budot from Iloilo City said, that the “uncle” is Vicente “Etic” Rojas Espinosa who is the first cousin of Rose Tupas Rojas mother of Vice Mayor Robert Villaruz. In May 2008 Vice Mayor Ramon M. Rojas who was also the first cousin of Vicente R. Espinosa was murdered in Barangay Central, Ajuy. The two assassins were captured but the mastermind remains unnamed.