Romualdez blasts PNoy, Mar

MANILA -Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez on Monday criticized President Aquino and Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas for engaging in partisan politics immediately after super typhoon Yolanda ravaged his city. Romualdez said the national government ignored his request to augment the police force. He, however, confirmed that the Philippine National Police sent Special Action Forces elements to the city. He also said he had “difficulty communicating” with the national government officials because “there were things asked of us .” “They wanted an ordinance immediately for a curfew. And I said: it is difficult to have an ordinance for a curfew because we have no fiscal’s office, no court. If these people violate the curfew and be arrested, how can they post bail? Why don’t we just have checkpoints? And this went on and on, and yet every day. We were meeting every day, every morning. I could not understand why we could not get that support,” he said. He said that in one meeting, Roxas asked him to “legalize everything” by passing an ordinance allowing the national government to conduct relief and rescue efforts in the city. “I told him: why is it illegal? As far as I know, the President is the president of the Philippines and he is also president of Tacloban City. I don’t see anywhere in the law, that you need a letter or ordinance from me for you to come in and do what you are doing,” he said. “He answered me: ‘You have to remember: we have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the president is an Aquino,’” he added. Romualdez again denied reports that he was being asked to resign his post as Tacloban mayor. He said Roxas’ request was for him to write a letter saying that he could no longer do some of the functions as mayor of Tacloban, which would allow the national government to step in and help the city. However, he said his own lawyers advised him not to write the letter since it could be deemed as a resignation letter.