Who's afraid of Panglao's Mayor Dumaluan?

YOU can say it again and no one among his army of enemies in Panglao is scared a bit? Let alone that local elections is just around the corner. And it is presumed that Mayor Dumaluan is not one who is afraid either for a possible square off with anybody in Panglao's political arena. That will make an interesting match up if ever former mayor Benedicto Alcala will make good his threat for a return bout against the incumbent mayor. What makes the Panglao mayoralty derby exciting is the welter of chares and countercharges hurled by both camps over the airlanes. If Dumaluan has its radio program over Station DYRD entitled Ang Bag-ong Panglao, his enemies in return bought two 30-minute slots over Station DYTR which they call Panglao Pagpakabana.

The enemies of Mayor Dumaluan are not contented with sponsoring a radio program to balance the terror of the mayor's own “barking dogs”. They (enemies of Dumaluan) also piled up a total of 13 criminal and administrative charges against the mayor before the Office of the Ombudsman. Among the string of cases Mayor Dumaluan is facing are malversation of public funds, abuse of authority, grave misconduct, conduct unbecoming of a public official,, another case of malversation of public funds for charging of gasoline used by his private vehicles, violation of the National Building Code, non-filing and late filing of Statement of Assets and Liabilities, unexplained wealth, non-issuance of occupancy permit, late issuance of business permit, perjury, falsification, dishonesty and gross misconduct.

The mayor was also hounded by his enemies involving a rape-slay case that took place near his resort in Bolod sometime in April 2004. According to reports reaching the Post, just as the policemen led by Chief Inspector Joseph Villas were zeroing in on the suspects of the crime, Dumaluan who eventually became mayor of Panglao unceremoniously transferred the two investigators to nearby Dauis. Some people in Panglao wondered aloud why the sudden transfer of the policemen when the victim was a cousin of the mayor. The victim was identified as Vivian Dumaluan. Only recently, one of the police investigators, SPO1 Dominic Ragusta, made a revelation, in an affidavit dated October 24, 2006 , that there were more than one perpetrator of the crime. So far only one suspect identified as Narciso Maghamil was made to answer for the gruesome crime and he is now locked at the Panglao PNP jail.

l