With Mayor Jonas Cortes and Vice Mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna out of the country, who should run the affairs at the Mandaue City Hall?
Both Councilor Diosdado Suico and City Administrator Briccio Boholst assumed the post of acting mayor after Cortes left for the Netherlands last June 5, sparking confusion.
Cortes, who is meeting government officials and non-government organizations in the Netherlands to discuss projects for Mandaue, had designated Boholst as acting mayor.
Cortes will be out of the country for 10 days.
As early as June 3, however, Fortuna left for the United States for the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) and designated Suico as acting vice mayor. He will be back on June 29 yet.
Suico said he assumed the post of acting mayor after Cortes left for the Netherlands because of the operation of law, he being the acting vice mayor at this time.
He cited Section 46 of the Local Government Code of 1991, paragraph (a) which states that when the mayor is out the vice mayor shall automatically exercise the powers and perform duties and functions of the local chief executive.
Suico, starting June 6, already acted as the mayor when he signed documents needed by patients who were scheduled to check out of a hospital.
That ran counter to Cortes’ order designating Boholst as acting mayor.
Ironically, Suico and Boholst, who are allies of Cortes, both said they don’t like assuming the city’s highest government position.
Later yesterday, Boholst told Sun.Star he had already talked with Suico and will no longer pose any objection to the latter assuming the post of acting mayor.
Earlier, Boholst recalled a meeting with Cortes before he left for abroad wherein Suico, who got the most number of votes among Mandaue councilors in the last elections, reportedly informed the mayor that Fortuna had already designated him acting vice mayor.
Boholst said that this prompted Cortes to designate him (Boholst) as acting mayor instead.
“I assume the position to comply with the mayor’s directive,” Boholst said at that time, noting that had Suico earlier told the mayor of his intentions, the confusion would have been prevented.
Suico argued, however, that if he won’t assume the post he will be exposing himself to possible charges.
“Ikiha unya ko for being remiss of my duty,” he told Sun.Star.
His change of heart, he said, was a result of a reminder made by opposition Councilor Emil Rosal when the mayor left for abroad.
Rosal told him of his duty to assume the chief executive’s post with opposition Councilor Alfonso Albaño Jr., who got the second highest number of votes in the last election, assuming the post of acting vice mayor and presiding officer of the City Council.
While Suico admitted that he did not signify his intention to assume the post of acting mayor in his earlier meeting with Cortes and Boholst, by operation of law he has to do it. (OCP)
