Thursday, April 05, 2007 Espinoza: Six-month suspension too harsh By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
TOMORROW is Good Friday, the day Christians, particularly Catho lics, remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Let us reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for us.
Christ’s crucifixion and death reminds us that He sacrificed himself to save humankind from sins. A human sacrifice, as we call it.
Our situation is different, though. In our case, around 99 percent of 80 million Filipinos are suffering from the misdeeds of only a few influential persons.
In this Lenten season, which is associated with abstinence and penitence, many do some penance for our past mistakes. Let us do that honestly and not just for public consumption.
This is especially true for public officials. How I wish those who wield awesome power, including those in government, will consider every day as Lent so that long and lasting peace will reign.
What makes this year’s celebration of Lent more significant is that on May 14 we will be choosing officials for the Senate, House of Representatives and the different local government units.
Please join me in appealing to the voters to vote wisely and not sell their votes. Choose the right persons to run the affairs of this government for another three years. Our future is at stake.
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Do the suspensions for six months of Mandaue City Mayor Teddy Ouano, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and other government officials on the lamppost controversy amount to prejudgment?
The Office of the Ombudsman will certainly say no because these are but preventive suspensions. But isn’t a six-month suspension too harsh considering that the Tanodbayan is yet to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt?
This is a sensitive issue and I don’t want to preempt the Court of Appeals (CA) in ruling over the petition for certiorari that Mayor Ouano and the others filed.
But my personal view is that the six months suspension, particularly in the case of Mayor Ouano, already amounts to a penalty because he will be permanently out of office until his term ends in June 2007.
A vacuum in office in Mandaue City is inevitable because nobody can take the place of the mayor since Vice Mayor Ading Seno as well as the first and second city councilors are candidates.
A preventive suspension is not a penalty. But the ombudsman cannot prevent people, particularly the opponents of Ouano and Radaza in the May 14 polls, from using it as an issue against the two mayors.
The CA denied the applications by Ouano and Radaza for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prevent the implementation of the suspension order because the suspension is merely preventive.
