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Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Palace to mete sanction on MisOr guv anew
By Lizanilla Amarga
THE Office of the President is set to issue "a suspension order as penalty" against Misamis Oriental Gov. Antonio Calingin anytime this week.
The governor said he received reliable information that the order may arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday.
"Kadtong sa una 60-days preventive suspension raman kadto karon six months suspension na gayud agi ug penalty kuno," he told Sun.Star Monday. (The one the Office of the President issued in the past was a preventive suspension order while this time allegedly it is a suspension as penalty.)
According to Calingin, Malacaņang issued the order since they see him as a threat to President Arroyo's re-election bid in 2004.
Calingin is the regional coordinator for the opposition party called the Nakaisang Koalisyon ng Pilipinas (NKP) that would declare action star Fernando Poe Jr. as its official presidential standard bearer on Wednesday.
He said the question of whether he committed something wrong or not is not the issue because they haven't conducted a hearing on his case.
"This is an issue of Malacaņang wanting to politically assert itself in our region and for that to happen they have to grab power from me," he said.
Suspension as penalty
Calingin said the suspension order as penalty would last six months or until April or June next year when the elections are over.
He said the six-month suspension order like the 60-days preventive suspension stemmed from the administrative charges of abuse of authority and dishonesty filed by de Jesus.
The charges are in relation to the P25 million Misamis Oriental Telephone System, Inc. (Misortel) Gingoog City Telephone Exchange Expansion project.
But De Jesus and main allies Provincial Board (PB) Members Norris Babiera and Oliver Actub denied any knowledge about the order.
"Siya raman ang gasulti-sulti ana (It is only Calingin who is saying that)," so went their common statement.
The vice-governor said he only learned of this sanction from the governor himself through a radio announcement.
"I always learn these things from the governor himself...as for me I just wait and follow the saying that everything comes to him who waits," he said.
No hearing
Babiera and Actub in separate interviews said they heard of this report also from Calingin.
The governor said he is expecting the suspension order as penalty to arrive Tuesday or Wednesday at the regional office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 10.
He said the basis of this suspension order to be served anytime this week is the supposed hearing held by the legal group of the DILG central office last Nov. 25 at DILG 10.
Calingin said there was no hearing held since it was put on hold after Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 38 Presiding Judge Maximo Paderanga issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the preventive suspension order.
"This was even witnessed by the DILG central office investigators who entered their appearance during the court hearing," he said.
(December 9, 2003 issue)
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