Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro denied any involvement in the suspension of Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad and other town officials, saying political forces are trying to destabilize local governance while the province prepares for Tropical Storm Basyang.
In a statement posted on her official Facebook page on February 6, Baricuatro said she had no motive to orchestrate the one-year preventive suspension of Enad, which took effect on February 2.
She described the mayor as one of her top-performing officials and urged local leaders and the public not to believe “unfounded whispers” circulating online.
“The success of the Mayors is the success of Cebu,” Baricuatro said, calling for unity among local officials and continued cooperation between the Provincial Government and town leaders.
Baricuatro also disclosed that intelligence reports indicate a hired killer from Mindanao has allegedly been paid millions of pesos to assassinate her.
She said authorities are already involved in ensuring her safety and investigating the matter.
Mayor Enad, Vice Mayor Lani Peña, and 11 former councilors were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged oppression and grave abuse of authority related to the non-issuance of a permit in Sitio Napo, Barangay Guindarohan.
The suspension order was personally served to the officials on February 2, an unusual procedure according to Enad, who said such orders are normally left with staff or posted publicly.
The case arose from a complaint filed by private entities linked to the operator of the Minglanilla landfill.
Enad said the actions cited in the complaint were based on public safety concerns after the Mines and Geosciences Bureau identified ground cracks in Sitio Napo that posed potential landslide risks.
The local government ordered evacuations and activity restrictions to protect residents.
Enad added that similar complaints from the same group had been dismissed in previous years and clarified that the administrative case is separate from his rejection of Minglanilla as a temporary landfill site during a Capitol meeting on January 22 addressing Cebu City’s solid waste management.
During the suspension, Councilor Lheslen Enad, the mayor’s wife, will serve as acting mayor, while Councilor Mulot Laput will assume the role of vice mayor.
