Tarzan: ‘I was not incapacitated’

ANGELES CITY — Former mayor and congressman Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, who is the incumbent barangay chairman of Balibago here said he was not incapacitated from his position as village chief.

This was gleaned from Lazatin’s letter dated September 12, which was sent to Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, Vice-Mayor Bryan Nepomuceno, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) City Director Martin Porres B. Moral, City Auditor Grace Tan, Liga ng mga Barangay president Jeremias Alejandrino and other officials.

Lazatin claimed that Balibago First Councilman Rodelio “Tony” Mamac “is not mandated by law to automatically exercise the powers and functions of the punong barangay for the very reason that there is no temporary vacancy in the position.

“I was not incapacitated for more than 30 working days. Patently, Barangay Kagawad Rodelio Mamac is usurping the authority of the office of the punong barangay,”Lazatin said.

He clarified in his letter to the city officials that Barangay Resolution Number 9, Series of 2018, which was initiated by Mamac together with barangay councilmen Abel Reyes, Fernando Yambao, Arnold Ibay, Leonardo Nicdao on September 10, 2018 is invalid and has no legal basis.

Mamac and his allies in the barangay council passed the said resolution which declares a temporary vacancy in the Office of the Punong Barangay claiming that Lazatin was absent for 29 straight days because of sickness.

In the same resolution, Mamac and his group urged Pamintuan to grant Lazatin’s indefinite medical leave of absence.

The mayor was also asked by the barangay councilmen to direct Mamac to “automatically exercise and perform the powers, duties and functions of the punong barangay.”

But Lazatin stated that he was performing his official functions as punong barangay on September 5, 2018 when he signed checks, letters, and other documents in his capacity as village chief.

“Clearly, there is no reason for the barangay kagawads to allege that I was effectively absent for a period of 29 days because there is o truth to such allegation,” Lazatin said.

He added that what is required under Section 46 of the Local Government Code is that the incapacity exceeds 30 working and not calendar days.

The barangay kagawads who prepared the resolution “miserably failed to properly compute the number of working days required under the law,” according to Lazatin.