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Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Graft raps reek of Pimentel: Emano
By Lizanilla Amarga
POLITICAL harassment.
This was the common reaction of Mayor Vicente Emano and councilors to reports they are now facing 18 counts of grave misconduct and graft charges.
For them, complainant Atty. Eddie Tamondong is filing theadministrative and criminal charges for purely political reasons since he is connected with the office of Sen. Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr., their political ally now turned nemesis.
"Diha kini siya gatarabaho sa buhatan sa atong halandong senador," Emano said in an interview over radio station dxIF Monday. (Tamondong is working in the office of our Honorable Senator Pimentel.)
The mayor said the charges were also to make sure that their candidacies in next year's local elections will be affected.
He cited that before the May 2001 local elections, Pimentel also filed plunder charges against them.
Councilor and acting City Legal Officer Maryanne Enteria said in a separate interview she knows Tamondong "personally."
"Hinaut na tinuod buot ug walay bahid politika ang iyang pagpasaka niini nga sumbong," she said. (I hope that his intentions are pure and not tainted with politics when he filed these charges.)
Councilor Alvin Calingin said the case filed by Tomondong is nothing but "political harassment."
But Tamondong, who is known to be connected with the prestigious Lorenzo Tanada Law Firm, said he is filing the 18 counts of grave misconduct and graft and corruption charges because he is a taxpayer and concerned citizen of Cagayan de Oro City.
He told Sun.Star in a telephone interview Monday that all his charges are factual and based on the Commission on Audit (COA) report.
"They should answer them factually not just say that it is politically-motivated. You cannot just go to the court and tell the judge to drop the case because it is politically motivated," he said.
He admitted he is connected with Pimentel's office but would end his services there starting this March 2004.
Tamondong also slapped City Treasurer Zenaida Lago with the same charges but only for 16 counts of the same alleged offenses.
Meanwhile, he said he did not include Councilors Mark Nacaya, Noel Beja and Jose Benjamin Benaldo in the charges since their names didn't actually appear in the COA report.
He said the three didn't sign the resolution approving the City Government's allegedly anomalous Piso-Piso Land Program.
(November 4, 2003 issue)
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