Badoc, Ilocos Norte—The trumpeted grand opening of the fiesta celebration in this town turned ugly as a commotion between this town’s two highest officials on the night of April 17 aborted what has been scheduled as a coronation night when town Mayor Thomas N. Torralba allegedly pointed a gun at his own vice mayor, Badoc Vice Mayor Glen Cajigal.

Witnesses said Torralba was apparently already drunk while he was seated with other guests at the coronation rites of the fiesta’s beauty search when he grabbed the gun of one of his security aides and allegedly pointed the gun at Cajigal.

Reacting on the issue on April 18, Cajigal said he did not expect Torralba to act the way he acted on that night but he added that he could only think of a single reason why the mayor pointed a gun at him in plain view of the public.

Both Torralba and Cajigal were on the same ticket during last year’s elections but a rift apparently occurred between then when this town’s Sangguniang Bayan disapproved an appropriation ordinance due to technicalities.

According to Cajigal the appropriation involved a P3.2 million rural health unit project which was disapproved by the town council after councilors discovered that the project was already awarded to a bidder though the appropriation ordinance for the said project was then still at the council’s committee level.

However Cajigal insisted that the said ordinance disapproval should not be blamed on him as he merely presides over the council and it is the members of the council who vote whether to approve or disapprove a resolution.

Torralba could not be reached for comment at presstime.

Leilanie G. Adriano