DESPITE his three-month suspension as municipal mayor of President Roxas, Receliste “Tanoy” Escolin expressed dissatisfaction with the governance of acting Mayor Braulio Godfrey “Botoy” Asis.
In a recent live Facebook post, Escolin voiced his disappointment with how the temporary Asis administration is managing the 20-percent development fund for barangays.
Before his February 16 suspension by the Offi ce of the Ombudsman, Escolin intended to allocate projects for punong barangays (village chiefs) without political opponents during the 2023 elections.
However, Escolin alleged that Asis has taken over the task and bypassed the punong barangays.
Escolin claimed that the acting mayor’s decision has a political motive: securing support of punong barangays for the latter’s political ambitions.
“There are a lot of priorities to do for the good of the town rather than playing politics. It is a clear indication that Asis is desperate—the reason why he did this,” Escolin remarked.
In an interview with The Capiz Times last March 25, Asis
denied Escolin’s accusation.
The acting mayor claimed he merely strengthened the implementation of programs and projects for the barangays.
But in an earlier interview, Asis did indicate his interest in running for mayor in the 2025 elections as Escolin is now on his third and final term.
Asis reportedly invited all punong barangays of President Roxas recently for a meeting, but only seven attended.
With 22 barangays, the attendance indicated that majority of punong barangays still support Escolin.
Meanwhile, Escolin plans to repaint the public plaza when he resumes office on May 17. He criticized the color changes made by the temporary administration of Asis. Escolin even pledged to fi nance the plaza’s repainting with his own money.
