Councilors Flaviano “Bobit” Hiyas (left) and Michael Dignos, alleged that they received death threats. | Futch Anthony Inso
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Two Lapu-Lapu City councilors have claimed to have received death threats and have suspected the administration to have allegedly something to do with them.
Councilor Michael Dignos said that their threats that they received through text messages were related to what they were doing as city officials.
“Wa ta’y laing mapasanginlan ani nga death threat, posible ra gyud ni gikan sa administrasyon,” said Councilor Flaviano “Bobit” Hiyas, who is the other councilor to have allegedly received a death threat.
(We don’t have anybody to point our fingers too on these death threats, it’s possible that these came from the administration.)
But Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan strongly denied the allegations that his administration was responsible for the death threats.
Chan said that he had no time for it, and that this might only be propaganda from his rivals in politics.
“Way panahon karon nga mamolitika ta, panahon karon nga magtinabangay ta. Pero unsay ilang gibuhat? Sige lang sila og pamolitika, sige lang sila og daot, pero wala ko na gi-igsapayan. I don’t mind,” Chan said.
(I have no time for politics, this is the time to help each other. But are they doing? There are always engaging in politics, they are always trying to say bad things but I don’t mind that at all. I don’t mind.)
Councilor Dignos said that he received his threat in December, which he believed was due to his continued scrutiny of the 2022 proposed annual budget of Mayor Chan.
He also clarified that that the delays in the budget approval resulted from the refusal of the mayor to allow department heads to attend budget deliberations by the city council.
“First time, just like what konsehal Bobit said, first time nga nahitabo nga naay usa ka sitting councilor nga makadawat og death threat diri sa atong siyudad sa far as I can remember,” Dignos said.
(It is the first time, just like what Councilor Bobit said that it’s the first time this happened that a sitting councilor received a death threat here in the city as far as I can remember.)
Hiyas, for his part, said that he first received his death threat in September 2021 during the council’s deliberation on the Supplemental Budget (S.B.) No. 3, where part of the that budget was the burial assistance of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
He added that he received his second death threat this month while the council was still deliberating the annual budget.
Hiyas said he also believed that the current administration had something to do with the death threats.
He also said that he did not divulge his earlier death threat immediately because he was afraid for the security of his family.
“Wala lang gyud ni nako gipadangat sa media, tungod kay dili lang sad ko ganahan. Duna man gud koy anak nga tulo kabuok, unya ug makahibawo intawn sila dili tawn katulog,” he added.
(I did not let this reach the media then because I don’t like it at all. I have three children and if they would know about these then they could not sleep at all.)
Aside from the two councilors, Josie Hayashi, a former ally of Chan, who is now running as city councilor under the Team Deretso of the Radazas, also claimed that he also received a death threat.
She said that she believed that her death threat resulted in her decision to run with the opposing party of the mayor.
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