Ilocos mayor back after suspension

PAGUDPUD, Ilocos Norte -- The mayor of this tourist town re-assumed her office Wednesday after serving the four-month suspension imposed on her by the provincial board for abuse of authority.

Mayor Maja Henson-Sales said she rescinded the designations made by the acting mayor during her absence.

She said her brother-in-law, Vice Mayor Marlon Sales, had reassigned some employees to new departments and that she ordered them back to their original positions.

The two are pitted in the mayoral race in the May polls.

The mayor’s administrative case stemmed from a resident’s complaint that she allegedly meddled in a land dispute and used her influence to favor one of the parties.

The Ombudsman has dismissed the criminal aspect of the case.