VP decries disrespect in Roxas turf by allies of bitter rival

ROXAS CITY—The office of Vice President Jejomar Binay Wednesday reacted strongly to what the vice president’s spokesperson said was disrespect for the position of vice president shown by this city’s mayor who refused to allow Binay’s supporters to put up welcome streamers for the second highest official of the land.

Joey Salgado, spokesperson of the Vice President, said in a statement that Mayor Angel Alan Celino went as far as warning stall owners at  Teodoro Arcenas Trade Center (TATC) against interacting with Binay when the Vice President arrives for a visit to this city in Capiz province, supposed to be bailiwicks of Binay’s bitter rival, defeated vice presidential candidate and now Transportation Secretary Manuel Araneta Roxas III.

Celino, however, denied he harassed vendors to prevent them from interacting with Binay.

“It’s purely rumor,” he said. “I challenge them to come out.”

“We cannot comprehend the apparent refusal of the mayor of Roxas City to recognize the fact that the second highest elected official of the country will be visiting. He has even gone to the extent of reportedly threatening vendors and market stall owners should they interact with the Vice President,” Salgado said in a statement.

Salgado advised the mayor to set aside politics and respect the Vice President as second highest elected national official.

“What harassment?” Celino said when asked to reply to the statement of Binay’s office.

Two vendors said the mayor had not talked to them about Binay.

Josephine Tala, a seafood vendor at  TATC, said she never heard the mayor warn market stall owners and vendors against interacting with Binay.

Tala said she did not see the mayor visit the market in the past few days to talk about the possible visit of Binay to the market.

Noli Martinez, a stall owner in TATC, also denied that the mayor came to the market to warn the vendors.

Mayor Celino, a close ally of Mar Roxas, also denied that he was politicking.

He said that even if he didn’t receive any notice from the Office of the Vice President, he instructed Supt. Salvador Dagoon Jr., Roxas police chief, to provide security for Binay during his visit to the city.

He said he and city officials would likely be blamed should the Vice President have security nightmares while in Roxas.

The mayor said he even planned to put up a welcome streamer for Binay but he changed his mind after learning that Binay’s visit would be for the purpose of meeting local leaders of Binay’s party, PDP-Laban.

The mayor said he didn’t allow Binay’s advance party to put up welcome streamers because a city ordinance required the payment of fees for permits to put up streamers in the city.

“Even if the Office of the Vice President did not respect me as a person, he should respect my office as mayor of the city,” Celino said.