TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (Oct. 30, 2025) – Commission on Elections (COMELEC)-ousted Mayor Susan Yap issued a firm memorandum order late Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, directing all city officials and employees to ignore a rival oath-taking ceremony and recognize only her authority, creating a sharp political standoff over the leadership of the capital city.
The order, addressed to “All City Government Officials and Employees” and titled “On Preserving Stability in the City Government,” came in direct response to Vice Mayor Katrina Theresa “KT” Angeles-Go’s claim to the mayor’s office after she was sworn in earlier in the day.
In the memo, Yap’s office argued that the legal process for a transition of power remains incomplete. It stated that while the COMELEC has issued a “Certificate of Finality” regarding the nullification of her proclamation, no implementing order from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has been received.
“To date, no Writ of Execution or Order for Implementation has been issued nor served upon this Office,” the directive read.
“Under established legal and administrative procedures, such an order must be formally transmitted and duly served by the DILG before any lawful assumption of office can take place.”
This directive directly contradicts the ceremony held by Angeles-Go, who took her oath before Judge Eric Voltaire Pablo at the Sangguniang Panlungsod session hall. Citing the COMELEC’s decision, she claimed a “permanent vacancy” in the mayor’s office legally compelled her to assume the post.
“I wholeheartedly accept this responsibility not as a victory but as a new challenge of service,” Angeles-Go stated during the event.
Despite this claim, Mayor Yap’s memorandum serves as a forceful assertion of her continued incumbency, ordering the city government to “maintain normal operations” and “refrain from participating in or recognizing any act or directive emanating from unauthorized individuals.”
The conflicting actions plunge the Tarlac City government into a crisis of authority, with employees and department heads caught between two competing claims to the mayor’s seat, pending the decisive intervention of the DILG.
