Echiverri’s laywers seek gag vs Erice

Fed up with what they said were personal attacks against Caloocan Mayor Enrico Echiverri, members of his legal team have asked a judge to cite Vice Mayor Edgar Erice for indirect contempt to prevent him from releasing “malicious and defamatory statements” to media.

At the same time, lawyer Mei Go told the Inquirer that they were considering filing a separate case against Joni Gonzales, Erice’s legal counsel.

The petition to cite the vice mayor for contempt was lodged at the Caloocan Regional Trial Court last week. It was raffled off to Judge Dionisio Sison of Branch 125.

“The information they release to the media, everything is a lie,” Go told the Inquirer.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was set to implement a suspension order against Echiverri, city treasurer Evelina Garma, budget officer Jesusa Garcia and city accountant Edna Centeno earlier this month.

Before it could act, however, Judge Eleanor Kwong of Branch 128 issued a three-day temporary restraining order, stopping the DILG from implementing the order.

In her decision, Kwong cited the need to prevent violence among supporters of Echiverri and Erice.

Erice had accused the mayor, Garma, Garcia and Centeno of not remitting more than P340 million worth of contributions made by city hall employees to the Government Service Insurance System before the Ombudsman.—Kristine Felisse Mangunay