Senate President to NBI: ‘Why summon the mayor when no law was violated?’

MANILA, Philippines — “If there is no law violated, bakit mo papatawag ang mayor?”

(If there is no law violated, why would you summon the mayor?)

Senate President Vicente Sotto III raised this question on Twitter after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) summoned Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto over his alleged violation of the recently enacted Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. The Pasig City mayor is a nephew of the Senate President.

“If a local official has not violated any law, the DILG (Department of Local and Interior Government) is the (department) that has jurisdiction over him. Not the DOJ!” Sotto said in his Twitter post on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the NBI’s Anti-Graft Division sent an “invitation letter” to the 30-year-old Pasig mayor for him to answer allegations that he disobeyed the national government policy in enforcing the community quarantine to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

To recall, the Pasig mayor initially allowed tricycles to ferry passengers, especially health workers, to their destinations as mass transport services were ordered suspended during the quarantine period.

However, the Pasig mayor already complied with the order to stop the operation of tricycles on March 20, or four days before the Bayanihan act was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“DOJ under ang NBI, if there is no law violated bakit mo papatawag ang mayor (why would you summon the mayor) ? Again, laws detrimental are not retroactive. Therefore, ang may jurisdiction sa mga local officials ay DILG,” the Senate president told reporters in a Viber message.

/MUF