DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 April)—Davao del Norte Gov. Edwin Jubahib defied the Office of the President’s order to temporarily suspend him for 60 days due to allegations of “grave abuse of authority and oppression.”
Defiant Gov. Edwin Jubahib at the Davao del Norte capitol in Tagum City. Photo from the LGU’s One DavNor Network Facebook page
In a video statement posted Thursday early morning, Jubahib said he will not step down from his office as the suspension order “had not undergone due process or rule of law,” thus “the injustice is very clear.”
He said he was surprised that the preventive suspension order was issued “without any prior summon to court, call from the Office of the President, or investigation by national or local [Department of Interior and Local Government] offices.”
On Thursday morning, Jubahib met with his supporters outside the Davao del Norte capitol hours after the legal team from DILG-Region 11 posted the suspension order outside the capitol after failing to go in.
Local residents barricaded the roads going to the capitol with placards “Ako mubarog (I will stand),” expressing their support for the governor.
Jubahib told supporters that the order OP-DC CASE NO. 22-L-100, dated April 8, was due to a vehicle issued to Davao del Norte 2nd District provincial board member Orly Amit back in November 2022.
In a video posted on the provincial government’s Facebook page One DavNor Network, Jubahib said that the vehicle in question was temporarily used by the engineering department for only one month, then returned immediately to Amit.
Amid a cheering crowd, Jubahib said the offense is not enough grounds to suspend him for 60 days.
Amit reportedly filed the complaint against the governor in November 2022.
With the suspension order, DILG-11 acting regional director Abdullah Matalam said this will immediately put Vice Governor De Carlo “Oyo” Uy as acting governor.
“For us, we are here to only serve the order given to us by the President,” Matalam told reporters Wednesday morning. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)