Emano willing to accept DILG suspension

CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano said he is willing to accept possible suspension, or at most removal from office, as legal officers from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Manila is set to hear the administrative case against him come September 10 and 11 in the city.

In his radio program Emano said: “I am already used to this since it already happened to me when I was still governor of Misamis Oriental. But my question is -- why am I the only one to be investigated when it is not only Cagayan de Oro that was hit by the tragedy?”

The mayor said he wanted to believe that politics has something to do with the speedy investigation of the charges filed against him.

The administrative case of gross negligence and dereliction of duty filed against Emano is in connection with the December 17, 2011 flashfloods that hit Cagayan de Oro that cost thousands of lives and damage to property.

The case was filed by a group called Save CDO Now Movement, which claimed themselves as concerned citizens in the city.

According to Emano, he already received the notice via telegram a day before DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas was appointed by President Benigno Aquino as the new DILG Secretary.

For his part, village councilor Enrico Salcedo of Barangay Gusa, who was one of the complainants, said he is hoping that this latest action taken by the DILG would give justice to the ‘Sendong’ victims in the city. (Annabelle L. Ricalde)