Fugitive Mt Prov mayor nabbed

By Aldwin Quitasol

BONTOC. Mountain Province — A disqualified mayoralty candidate who won the 2022 national and local elections as mayor of Paracelis town in the province but went into hiding for his illegal logging conviction, was arrested by authorities Tuesday here at Loc-ong, Poblacion.
    Police identified the disqualified mayor as Avelino Charonag Amangyen, 63, resident of Poblacion, Paracelis.
    He had a standing warrant of arrest for illegal logging, a violation of the Forestry Code.
    Despite a Court ruling against him, he ran for mayor of Paracelis and won with a 4,000 votes margin against his two opponents -- now incumbent Paracelis Mayor Marcos Ayangwa and Anton Liban.
    Ayangwa protested against the victory of Amangyen arguing that he was a subject of an arrest order for committing a crime.
    On 19 April 2022, the Second Division of the Commission on Elections canceled the Certificate of Candidacy of Amangyen.
    The ruling was based on the failure of Amangyen to declare no conviction on the case against him for violating the Forestry Code thus the poll body gave Amangyen a Reclusion Temporal and Perpetual Disqualification from holding public office.
    From then on, Amangyen went into hiding.
    He was finally arrested here in this capital town last Tuesday with warrant against him implemented.
    The court did not recommend any bail for Amangyen for his temporary liberty. 
    He was brought to the Bontoc Municipal Police Station now awaiting further instructions from the court.