Carmen mayoralty race takes ugly turn

The rivalry between two mayoralty candidates in Carmen deepens as both camps threw accusations that have encroached into their personal lives.

Reelectionist Mayor Manuel Molina and his challenger Conchita Toribio both made it big in the nation’s capital by establishing their own businesses, but later wanting to go back to their roots and serve the constituents of Carmen.

Mayor Molina yesterday challenged his election opponent to answer the issues concerning her “bigamous marriage” instead of launching an attack against his company.

According to Molina, Toribio should answer directly and explain to the people of said town her true marital status, bigamous marriage and her material representation on her Certificate of Candidacy (CoC), instead of attacking him and his own marital status.

But Toribio retorted saying her life is an open book. “I have nothing to hide and be ashamed of, be it regarding my marriage or my dealings in business,” Toribio told the Chronicle.

In his petition for disqualification filed at the Comelec Manila against Toribio, the mayor alleged that his rival is hiding under the family name of her second husband to evade arrest as she has three pending warrants of arrest resulting from cases of estafa and violations of the anti-bouncing check law.

Last week, the lady mayoralty aspirant bared Molina’s “first wife” is ready to “bare all” during the campaign period to refute the incumbent mayor’s claims that he has annulled his marriage with his first wife.

Toribio disclosed some former employees in Molina’s company will be suing the mayor after they found out that their monthly deductions for SSS contributions were never remitted.

The mayor however said, Toribio “exaggerated” the SSS contribution issue against his company.

“It is absolutely not true that employees are due to file a case against me,” Molina asserted.

What took place, he said, “was only some sort of a miscommunication between my company and the personnel of the SSS with respect to the correct data of employees”.

Molina explained that at present, the problem had already been resolved and the SSS contribution is already paid and accepted by the SSS.

According to Molina, the marriage of Toribio with Zosimo G. Ordoñez on May 14, 1978 is not null and void.

In her explanation, Toribio said that such marriage is null and void per se because she was only 17 years of age at the time.

“Toribio is lying to the people because at 17, in the year 1978 at the time of her marriage with Ordoñez, she was legally allowed under the New Civil Code to enter into marriage” Molina said.

It is only in 1988 upon the effectivity of the Family Code that the marriageable age was changed to 18, he added.

Consequently, Molina argued, the second marriage of Toribio with FRANCISCO S. DELOS REYES on January 8, 2002 without first obtaining a court order declaring her first marriage with Ordoñez null and void, is bigamous.

“Toribio is not only criminally liable for bigamy but also for Falsification of Public Document for having declared as single when she applied for marriage license to enter into marriage with FRANCISCO S. DELOS REYES on January 8, 2002 in San Juan City, “Molina added. “Bigamy and Falsification of Public Document are public crimes upon which anybody can file complaints against Toribio not necessarily her husband Ordoñez,” Molina warned.

Molina said, he is not intimidated by the threat of Toribio that his first wife will campaign against him in his bid for reelection for an alleged bigamy. That issue had been known already when he ran for the first time as Mayor of Carmen in 2007, he said.

“Before entering into my second marriage with my present wife, I had obtained a declaration of nullity of my first marriage.” Molina said.

“The papers are with my wife and anyone may request for a photocopy,” the mayor dared.

POLITICAL HARASSMENT

Called to comment on Molina’s statement, Toribio said the mayor’s camp is resorting to “political harassment” after she got a good following during her consultations in the barangays.

“Molina sees that his reelection bid is seriously threatened. I feel sorry for him that he is more interested in my past life when I am more interested in serving the people of Carmen,” she said.

Supporting her allegations regarding former employees of the mayor who will be filing a case for non remittance of their SSS contributions, Toribio said they will surface in due time.

“With regards my first marriage, I consider it a premature marriage. If there are legal questions, my lawyer can handle that,” she added.

On the issue of several pending cases of estafa and violations of the bouncing check law against her, Toribio said these were already settled.

“I would not have this freedom to move around, presenting myself as a mayoralty candidate if warrants for my arrest are out,” she said.

Toribio disclosed that last week, two people were murdered in Carmen and until now, the case remains unsolved.

While police and military assigned in the town are on a manhunt, Toribio said, “The mayor is out of town for several days already. In fact, he is not in Bohol”.