Thursday, January 10, 2008 Joy Ouano heeds court order, skips session
THE Mandaue City Council did not act on the transmittal from the Liga ng mga Barangay on Jovita Tuela Ouano’s assumption as ex-officio member after the council received a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Marlyn Lagura-Yap.
Yap, the other day stopped Ouano, from taking office as president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and as ex-officio member of the City Council.
The order prompted the council to defer its action on the confirmation certificate for Ouano issued by Liga National President James Marty Lim. One seat remained vacant yesterday.
The seat next to it was occupied by Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Gilan Guiseppe Soon-Gobalani.
It was the council’s first session for this year.
Rightful choice
Legislators gave Gobalani a warm welcome.
Sun.Star Cebu called up the Opao Barangay Hall and officials there said Ouano is in Manila.
For his part, former mayor Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano, Joy’s father, said his daughter is right and is the rightful choice of barangay captains.
“Lahi man gud ang by-laws sa kapunungan sa Liga, lahi man sa atong balaod (The league’s by-laws are different from our laws),” Pedong said in a radio dyLA interview.
He said even the Department of Interior and Local Government cannot meddle with the Liga’s activities.
However, he welcomed the court order.
Declaration
Ouano, after her reelection as barangay captain last Oct. 29, ran again as ABC chief against Banilad Barangay Captain Glen Bercede.
But during the ABC elections, Ouano reportedly declared some of the city’s 27 barangays captains as not qualified to vote for having unpaid dues.
This made 18 barangay captains walk out. They went to another room and unanimously elected Bercede as their new ABC president.
But the Board of Election Supervisors declared a failure of elections.
This was one of the bases for Bercede and other complainants to seek a court intervention.
Defendants
On the other hand, Vice Mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna said he is hoping that his name will be stricken out as one of the defendants in the complaint.
When sought for reaction, Mayor Jonas Cortes said the ABC is independent and he is leaving everything to the discretion of independent barangay captains.
Public Information Officer Hedelito Pascual, in a separate interview, explained that Fortuna is only as nominal party in the complaint.
This means that the presiding officer may or may not answer the accusations hurled by the plaintiffs.
But they will still be forced to hire lawyer to represent their interests during hearings, said Fortuna.
Another lawyer, who requested anonymity, said a court’s TRO will definitely compel Ouano not to appear at the council.
Rod Bagaslao, counsel of the complainants, said they might consider amending the complaint by removing Fortuna and the council he heads once they are assured that the presiding officer will not let Ouano sit in the council. (OCP)
