Friday, October 26, 2007 Suspend Cortes: city council
THE Mandaue City Council yesterday asked the Office of the Ombudsman to preventively suspend Mayor Jonas Cortes for the destruction of the mini park in front of City Hall.
The council, dominated by the opposition, also asked the Ombudsman to criminally and administratively prosecute the mayor for the destruction of the plaza.
The mayor’s camp described yesterday’s passage of the resolution as a rehash of an earlier move to request the Ombudsman to stop the mayor from destroying the park and to order him to explain his moves.
“Wa mi masuko, malooy lang mi nila kay mao ra gyud tawon ang maabot sa ilang otok as lawyers We are not mad but we pity them because this is the only thing they can come up with as lawyers),” said Mandaue City Legal Officer Omar Redula.
Redula did not name anyone but he was apparently referring to Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna and Councilor Victor Biaño, who are both lawyers.
Redula also said the opposition councilors’ move was merely meant to generate “media mileage.”
No effect
Cortes, however, merely shrugged off the resolution. He said the resolution has no effect because the council already submitted an earlier request to the Ombudsman.
The resolution passed yesterday was authored by Biaño and requested the Ombudsman to “prosecute, criminally and administratively, Mayor Jonas Cortes for the destruction of the mini park at the Mandaue Heritage Plaza without the requisite Sanggunang Panlugnsod Resolution and COA clearance.”
The resolution said the move amounted “to grave abuse of authority” and asked the anti-graft office to immediately suspend Cortes.
Last month the Council requested the Ombudsman’s assistance on the destruction of the mini-plaza. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol asked Cortes last Oct. 1 to comment on the resolution to stop the destruction of the mini-plaza and to refrain from opening Mabini St.
Cortes, however, told Apostol that the previous administration of Thadeo Ouano did not pass an ordinance or a resolution closing Mabini and a lane of Rizal St. Cortes said he considers the closure illegal and told the Ombudsman he was merely clearing the streets of illegal structures.
When asked to comment on the resolution seeking Cortes’ suspension, Mandaue City Administrator Briccio Boholst said it was “plain stupidity” for the councilors to repeat what has been done earlier.
Boholst instead suggested the council to pass laws against stupidity, callousness, and playing stupid on issues they know about just to confuse other legislators.
Boholst took potshots at key opposition officials, suggesting as titles of the ordinances he proposed “Car Law,” “Beyond You,” and “E-mail.” The titles are references to Fortuna and Councilors Biaño and Emil Rosal. The two councilors are the most vocal of the mayor’s critics.
Cortes criticized Rosal’s performance with the Local Finance Board, saying he isn’t as effective as then councilor and now Provincial Board Member Weng Gakit. (OCP)
