Mayor Rey Catacutan shows threatening social media post against him. Photo by Bong Lacson
CAPAS, Tarlac — “Dapat ng tapusin ang buhay nito, nais ko lang ipaalam sa ating mga kapulisan na wag nalang makialam sa nalalapit na kamatayan ni mayor reynaldo catacutan, sa lahat nang gustong mamatay ang mayor na to paki share nalang para makarating ito sa mga ibang hitman ng Pilipinas.”
So, posted one “BI Ra Dor” in social media along with a solo picture of Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan.
The post was shared at “Pyra Lucas Kasangga Mo Kakampi Mo In Action Page” on Facebook. Lucas’ page had been running a series of allegations of land grabbing and harassment against Catacutan.
In a media conference at the municipal hall here Monday, Catacutan said Lucas was “instigating hatred” against him “through her malicious lies” in social media.
“We even dignified these outright lies by trying to reach out and explain our side, but Lucas did not even bother to hear us,” the mayor said.
“There is no such a thing as land grabbing. In those issues, I performed my mandate to protect the properties of the government,” Catacutan emphasized.
He noted that the death threats came out thereafter, and took them seriously when he was told last March 11 that four suspicious–looking men on a pick–up vehicle went to a tourism site being developed by the local government at the New Clark City and asked the guard about the time and days of Catacutan’s visit there.
The online death threats, he said, had intensified since, prompting him to raise his concerns to Central Luzon police director Brig. General Valeriano De Leon.
In two successive letters to De Leon last week, Catacutan requested for “investigation, forensic examination or blocking of several Facebook accounts engaged in online libel and other forms of online harassment” against him.
He said since February 2021, Lucas has been posting several “libelous videos” in her Facebook group page.
Catacutan also cited in his letter other individuals hiding behind fake Facebook accounts posting false and degrading imputations against him and his constituents.
Last March 4, 2021 Catacutan also filed three online libel cases at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Tarlac against Lucas.
58 counts of libel
It was not the first time a local government official accused Lucas of libel.
Lucas was charged with 14 counts of libel by Mabalacat City Vice Mayor Christian Halili and four counts each of the same offense by 11 city councilors, for a total of 58 counts, before the City Prosecutor’s Office on August 22, 2016.
The cases stemmed from Lucas lashing at members of the city council using unprintable invectives and branded them as “drug protectors and thieves” on Facebook.
Earlier the city council declared Lucas “persona nongrata” under SP Resolution 24-2016, after she reportedly “continuously and publicly maligned” members of the council, along with Mayor Marino Morales and Vice Mayor Halili in the Facebook account “Mabalacat Stop Corruption.”
Lucas placed fourth and last among the Mabalacat City mayoralty candidates in the local elections of 2016.
Kicked out of VACC
Described as a self-styled anti-corruption crusader, Lucas was kicked out of her position as member and coordinator for Central Luzon of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) in its Board Resolution No. 3 in April 2019.
The resolution added that Lucas “is prohibited, banned and barred from representing herself as member and regional coordinator of the organization from using and invoking VACC in any and all her activities or endeavors, and from acting and representing in behalf of the organization, its officers and members.”
Lucas’ expulsion signed by VACC president Arsenio “Boy” Evangelista and VACC chair Socorro “Cory” Quirino stemmed from a complaint filed with the VACC over by spouses Paul and Erlinda Santos whoclaimed that Lucas had offered her services for P2.2 million to “facilitate the favorable and expeditious disposition “facilitate the favorable and expeditious disposition of the Petition for Review filed by their son, Rurik Earl, before the DOJ for rape.”
Lucas fights back
In February 2020, Lucas called a press conference in Angels City announcing she filed 10 counts of cyber libel and two counts of libel before the Prosecutors Office of Angeles City against Evangelista and Quirino, denying allegations in the complaint against her.
She in turn accused the two of violating the VACC by-laws in the case of her expulsion, that it must be voted by the majority of the members and not by mere votes of the Board of Trustees.
This, even as she claimed that the VACC hierarchy had not up to that time released a copy of the board resolution expelling her.
She said the allegations against her were merely out to discredit her because of the illegal activities she discovered against some officials who were using VACC in exchange of payola.
The status of the cases has not been determined as of posting time.
