ILOILO City – Are City Tourism Office assistant department head Eireen “Ayen” Manikan and husband, Romeo Caesar “Juncae” Manikan Jr., the City Civil Registry Office chief, being targeted at city hall?
She does not want to think that they are, according to Eireen.
But the “coincidences” were very uncanny and even painful, she said.
Eireen, a regular city government employee since the administration of then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, is being investigated by the City Legal Office for alleged electioneering.
The office of her husband, on the other hand, is being probed by the National Bureau of Investigation for alleged irregularities in the registration of marriages.
Eireen denied having engaged in partisan political activities in the recent May 13 midterm elections as alleged by two job hires.
She also said she does not know complainants Jena Jose and Josephine Domingo.
Jose and Domingo claimed Eireen told them to support then mayor Jose Espinosa III during an alleged meeting on May 8.
Eireen denied campaigning for Espinosa who was then running against then congressman and now mayor Jerry Treñas.
She said she knew employees like her were prohibited from engaging in partisan political activities.
“As an employee you have to remain apolitical,” said Eireen.
Meanwhile, her husband Romeo Caesar denied the alleged irregularities at the City Civil Registry Office such as registration of “fake” marriages.
“The role of the Civil Registry Office is purely ministerial when marriage certificates are presented for registration,” he said.
“Basta ang place of marriage is within Iloilo City kag complete ang (marriage) certificate, register gid ina,” he told Panay News.
As to the solemnization of marriage, Manikan said that is already beyond his office’s mandate.
At the start of the Treñas administration, according to Eireen, she and her husband were told by City Administrator Melchor Tan to take a leave of absence “for the peace of all.”
Tan did not categorically explain why, according to Eireen.
Though they found the instruction strange, said Eireen, she and her husband followed the directive to demonstrate that they were cooperating with the Treñas administration.
Tan could not be reached for comment as of this writing.
Romeo Caesar already returned to work early this month while Eireen is set to resume working on Sept. 2.
“The truth will come out,” said Eireen. “I’ve known Sir Jerry for quite some time. Indi sya malain nga tawo.”/PN
