Incumbent Malabon councilor Jose Lorenzo “Enzo” Oreta is still running as Malabon mayor.
This is contrary to a May 7 post by Facebook page Youth Philippines claiming that Oreta has announced that he has been disqualified over a string of cases filed against him.
The Facebook page posted a quote card of Oreta with the text:
Medyo mahirap din…pandarambong, nepotismo, at korapsyon, patong patong na. Disqualified na [ako] at no bail pa ang mga kaso, baka masayang lang ang boto nyo. Maraming salamat nalang nalang po (It’s quite difficult…multiple charges, graft, nepotism, and corruption. I am disqualified and the cases are non-bailable, you will just waste your votes. Thank you very much).
Oreta refuted the claim in his statement posted on May 9, a part of which reads:
Mariin nating pinabubulaanan ang anumang kumakalat na balita tungkol sa disqualification sa akin o kahit sinumang kandidato mula sa Team Pamilyang Malabonian (I strongly disprove any news of my disqulification or any of the candidates from Team Pamilyang Malabonian).
Oreta is the younger brother of three-term incumbent Malabon mayor, Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III. He is running against Nacionalista Party’s Jeannie Sandoval.
Last March, a Malabon resident filed corruption cases against the Oreta brothers in the Ombudsman for alleged nepotism. The complainant said the older Oreta appointed Enzo as a Special Agent 1 under the Mayor’s Complaint and Action Office and subsequently gave him a raise a year later.
The Facebook post has received nearly 13,000 interactions with over 600 shares as of writing. (ML)