TUGUEGARAO CITY—A concrete bust many believed to be that of former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile was ordered demolished by Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba on his first day of work on Monday.

The bust, which had been standing in front of the provincial capitol since 1984, was toppled by a pair of payloaders. It was installed during the term of former Gov. Justiniano Cortez, supposedly as a tribute to Enrile, who was then defense minister of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, according to Domingo Matammu, former provincial administrator.

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The 92-year-old Enrile announced his retirement from public service on June 30 when his term as senator ended.

But Mamba, a longtime political enemy of Enrile, said he did not see the historical significance of the bust when he addressed provincial government employees during their weekly flag ceremony on Monday.

Katrina Ponce Enrile, the senator’s daughter, said the family did not even know that her father had a bust at the capitol.

“Those are just meaningless trappings of things that are not truly important in life. My father never marveled at such things ever in his life [and] is never comfortable with accolades of any sort,” she said.

“He wouldn’t care less if the good governor burns it or like what he did, had it bulldozed … It does not matter,” she said.

Speaking to the Inquirer, Mamba said: “Why did he (Enrile) have a bust there when he is still alive? Besides, how can I work effectively when I see his bust every time I step inside [the capitol compound]?”

According to the guidelines set by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, no monument to a living person can be erected in a public area and sanctioned by the national government or any local government.

The bust did not have a single inscription though it was public knowledge in Cagayan that it represented Enrile, Mamba said.

“For years, it stood there and no one wanted to have it removed because they were afraid of Enrile. But it is more of an injustice for the people of Cagayan and the whole country if we let it stay there,” he said.

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Lawyer Cristina Antonio, assistant to former Gov. Alvaro Antonio, said Mamba should focus time and resources on more important matters. Mamba defeated Antonio in the May 9 elections.

“Instead of facing the affairs of the province, Mamba drowns in his own spite. His order to remove the bust shows his kind of politics and governance—arrogant, petulant and unable to rise above personal ill will,” she said.

Mamba said he ordered the bust removed because he did not want the youth to emulate the former Senate president and former representative of the province’s first district.

Enrile is out on bail on plunder charges in connection with the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Allocation Fund.

He had served six administrations, including four terms in the Senate and in at least 48 government positions, according to records.

“How do we now tell our children that the person for whom we have built a monument is facing charges of plunder?” Mamba asked.

But Katrina said: “That [my father did not deserve the bust] is [Mamba’s] opinion and his perspective and we have nothing to say. May I ask the good governor if he is willing to hand over the bust of my father to me for me to keep it?”

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