Leyble: Reconciliation possible; Ynares: Not now

Former Antipolo Mayor Nilo Leyble may be open to the idea of patching things up with his political rivals—the Ynareses—but for the incumbent city mayor, a reconciliation was not possible at this time.

Leyble broached the idea of mending fences on Monday with Antipolo Mayor Jun Ynares III and his father, former Rizal Gov. Ito Ynares.

This was after he accused them of having a hand in the filing of murder charges against him.

In her complaint lodged in the Antipolo City Prosecutor’s Office last week, Dorina Laroco accused Leyble and Vice Mayor Puto Leyva, among others, of being behind the killing of her husband, Rolando.

She claimed that Rolando was part of a group hired by Leyble, Leyva and other people to kill the Ynareses. She added that he was thinking of backing out of the kill plot when he was shot dead on Buliran Road on Aug. 26.

Leyble, who lost to the younger Ynares in the May elections, had dismissed the filing of the charges against him as a form of “political harassment.”

He said the mayor was facing an electoral protest and that a recount of votes was scheduled this week.

“Yes, [I’m open to a reconciliation],” Leyble told the Inquirer in a text message as he reiterated that he had done nothing wrong and that his “conscience was clear.”

But in a phone interview, the younger Ynares dismissed any possibility of ever patching things up with his political rival.

According to him, he and his father tried to reconcile with Leyble after the elections in May but the latter refused.

He added that the former mayor did not seem concerned when news about the alleged assassination plot broke out and instead accused him and his father of political harassment.

“His reaction is very surprising… after all of this, how can [a reconciliation take place?]” Ynares said.