Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez said this yesterday, while also stressing that he is ready anytime to answer the accusationsagainst him.

Alvarez, who was interviewed in Brgy. Tabu. Ilog, more than a month after he wascharged before the Department of Justice by the National Bureau of Investigation for the assassination of Kabankalan Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arles, said he has been discharging his function regularly as the chief executive.

While he goes to Manila once in a while for a regular medical check-up, Alvarez said he always returns to work in Ilog.

An alleged new witness to the Arles case who calls herself“Honeybee”, was recently presented by lawyer Frank Britanico, brother-in-law of the slain judge. She implicated Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr. and Cauayan Vice Mayor Jerry Tabujara, aside from Mayor Alvarez in the incident.

Mayor Alvarez said he neither knew or met the new witness, including those members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade, who allegedly confessed and later recanted their statements on their involvement in the killing ofArles.

Vice Governor Alvarez and Vice Mayor Tabujara vehemently denied the allegations of the alleged new witness of the Arles family.

Since the time Vice Mayor Tabujara was linked to the incident, Mayor Alvarez said he had not talked with him, although he admitted seeking his advice previously on how to implement his programs in Ilog town.

Honeybee had claimed that she was instructed by Rustom Puro, who was the husband of her cousin, to pick up the P500,000 final payment for the P1 million hit job from the mayor, who personally handed the money to her.

Eddie Fortunado, a member of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade, who is now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation, claimed that he was tortured into admittinghis participation in the killing of Judge Arles.

Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez said the recantation of the witness of his statement proved that their case against his son is “very weak”.

Should the DOJ issue a subpoena to him, Mayor Alvarez said he is ready to answer it. “If there is no reason for you to be afraid of, then you should not be worried about it,” he added.*GPB

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