BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Mayor Alme Rhummyla Mangilimutan, whose town is facing a simmering Kanlaon Volcano under Alert Level 2, has broken her silence over what she called as “recycled accusations” against her from a former aide and godson who has filed formal charges before a Philippine anti graft body and has sought the help of the Senate to look into her marital status.
“Those are recycled charges and it took him five years before he raised it again,” Mangilimutan told DNX from abroad on the accusations raised by Elvin Dela Fuente against her.
Mangilimutan did not answer Dela Fuente’s allegation that she had committed adultery by marrying two men but focused, instead on the corruption charges against her, particularly that she had been using public funds to buy parcels of land.
She pointed out that La Castellana’s municipal government was one of only two towns who was awarded the Seal of Good Local Governance by the Department of the Interior and Local Government along with Manapla for this year.
The SGLG measures performance by a local unit based on delivery of basic services and governance including principles of transparency, accountability, and performance including accomplishment of plans, and use of funds among others.
Dela Fuente, who described himself in a DNX interview as a godson and trusted aide of Mangilimutan since she was a village chief, admitted to have left the town owing to debts he had incurred there and after a marital separation with his wife.
He had been living in Manila, “retired from politics” for more than five years now, he said.
Mangilimutan said she will respond to the charges formally if the hearing process begins but vowed to pursue a case for cyber libel.
“They are making personal attacks against me,” she said, adding that it has been made clear in Dela Fuente’s Facebook live broadcasts that there are people using him.
“I know who these people are and politics is clearly the motive of (Dela Fuente),” she said.
