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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Ombud asked to act on libel rap vs Yaranon
BAGUIO City Mayor Braulio Yaranon will not deter the City Prosecutor's Office (CPO) from conducting its own investigation in the libel cases filed against him by Baguio Representative Mauricio Domogan and former Mayor Bernardo Vergara.
This developed after the mayor learned that the CPO was set to resolve the first three libel charges filed after he failed to submit his counter-affidavit to the charges.
Yaranon said he would not intervene with whatever the CPO intends to do but reiterated it is the Ombudsman who should conduct the investigation.
Additional evidence for the second libel charge filed by Domogan, meantime, is reportedly being gathered by the solon.
Yaranon was supposed to file his counter-affidavit last May 17.
The mayor was also asked by the CPO to file his comment on whose jurisdiction the libel charges would be referred to, whether it be the Office of the Ombudsman or the CPO itself. He also had not filed his answer, prompting the CPO to proceed with the preliminary investigation based on the evidences presented to them.
Yaranon earlier said that cases filed against public officials with a salary grade of 28 and above have to be under the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman.
Meanwhilee, the mayor said he has yet to receive information from the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission regarding his request for an investigation on the award of the flyover project.
The mayor claimed technical malversation is present in the project because there is no certification that there are enough funds to finance the entire project. The total fund for the flyover project is pegged at P88 million but only half is reportedly available.
Earlier, Public Works and Highways Regional Director Mariano Alquiza said the construction of the flyover has to be put on hold unless President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gives her go-signal for the project to proceed.
The project was awarded to the Advanced Foundation Inc. a construction company based in Metro Manila in 2003. (RO)
(June 7, 2005 issue)
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