DILG exec: Junjun Binay dismissal order served ‘silently, peacefully’
Ma. Lourdes Agustin, regional director officer in charge of DILG-NCR, holds a copy of the Ombudsman’s dismissal order on suspended Makati Mayor Junjun Binay that she served with two DILG staff to his household on Wednesday. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net
The Department of Interior and Local Government on Wednesday served the dismissal order on suspended Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay to his representative “silently and peacefully.”
This was the response of DILG-National Capital Region director officer in charge Ma. Lourdes Agustin to the claims of the Binay camp that the DILG and Makati police “harassed” them when they served the order at Binay’s residence in San Antonio Village.
“We went there silently to serve the order. Walang nabulabog,” Agustin said.
Joey Salgado, spokesperson of the Binays, said the DILG’s serving was “overacting” as the community in the village was disturbed by the convoy of DILG and patrol cars.
Salgado said it would have been “traumatizing” for Binay’s children if they saw their house being surrounded by police cars.
READ: Junjun Binay camp cries ‘harassment’ from DILG, Makati Police
But Agustin, in an interview at Camp Crame, said there was no tension during the serving of the order as it was “very peaceful and conversational.”
“They were courteous in responding to our queries,” she said.
She said that of the 10 personnel from the DILG and Makati police who went to the area, only three female DILG staff members spoke with Francis Saguni, a “records and security officer” of the suspended mayor.
“It was an SOP for the DILG to serve an Ombudsman order with the police. But primarily, we were assisted by them because we were all women,” Agustin said, adding that there were only four police cars in the convoy.
She also clarified that they did not even reach the front of Binay’s house and were instead “advised to wait” near a guardhouse, where Saguni met them to receive the documents.
Agustin said they appreciated that the Binay household accepted the documents in peace.
“Salamat sa maayos na pagtanggap ng decision. Napakaganda ng pagbaba namin kanina. We were just there silently and for that kami ay nagpapasalamat,” she said. Julliane Love de Jesus/RC
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