Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Tomas to help fire chief in trouble, warns BFP
BELEAGUERED Cebu City Fire Marshall Esmael Codilla was assured of legal assistance from the City Govern-ment’s top lawyers yesterday.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña issued the order for legal assistance in a move to keep the fire chief.
Osmeña also threatened to kick out the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) regional office from the City Government-owned property in Barangay Pahina San Nicolas and cut off their water and power supply connections if they insist on removing Codilla from his post.
He believes the recommendation to file criminal and administrative charges against Supt. Codilla is the BFP’s way of transferring him out of the city.
“I already gave instructions to Councilor (Gerardo) Carillo to provide legal assistance to Codilla. The City Attorney’s Office was asked to assist and I will also ask Councilor (Edgardo) Labella and Councilor (Hilario) Davide (III) to help,” Osmeña told a news conference yesterday.
Carillo, Labella and Davide are lawyers.
Osmeña said he will see to it that legal aid is provided to Codilla so he can keep his post.
The central office of the BFP has recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against Codilla for his failure to account for more than P400,000 in debts to a gasoline station.
A fact-finding committee recommended the filing of a criminal complaint of malversation of public funds and an administrative complaint of grave misconduct against the official.
“I think it’s just plain and simple. They just want to assign somebody here. So we will help him legally and kick out their regional office from our property. I’m just saying, don’t play games with me because I’m not in the mood. If they insist, we’ll cut off their water and electricity and we’ll tell them to get out,” Osmeña warned.
The mayor has managed to prevent previous attempts to replace Codilla, whom he described to be the best fire department chief he has had in his four terms as mayor.
Others, he said, were either “stupid, corrupt, lazy or incompetent.”
Codilla was first recommended for transfer in November 2005 for being overqualified to perform the functions of a city fire marshal, that only require the qualifications and services of an officer with the rank of chief inspector. (LCR)
