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Friday, January 12, 2007
Suspended Valencia mayor steps down
By Inday Emeterio and Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Valencia City Mayor Jose Galario yielded Thursday to the three-month suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman against him and peacefully stepped down from office.
The suspension was carried out despite the admission by the regional office of the Department of Interior Local Government (DILG) that there were "conflicting opinions" on whether it should be Vice Mayor Benjamin Verano or First City Councilor Helen Bernal who should be installed as acting mayor.
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Galario's supporters and those who want the mayor suspended were at the Valencia City Hall when DILG officials led by Regional Director Quirino Libunao served the suspension order from the Ombudsman-Manila around 10 a.m. Thursday.
A close-door meeting was then held and it was later agreed that Galario would consent to step down and turn his post to Verano.
Libunao then swore in Verano as the acting mayor of Valencia City, but just minutes later there was a commotion. The DILG head got a call reportedly from Bukidnon Governor Jose Ma. Zubiri.
There were then talks of how it should be Bernal who should be installed as acting mayor of the city and not Verano.
Verano, however, was declared the acting mayor.
Galario confirmed that indeed he has vacated his office as mayor of Valencia City, Bukidnon.
"Yes, because there is an Ombudsman order and that is just the thing I was waiting for," he said.
Galario's lawyers, Oscar Musni and Manuel Ravanera, said their client's departure was to avoid chaos and possibly bloodshed between the mayor's supporters and detractors.
"Though we find shortcuts in the execution of the order and backdoor maneuver in procuring the order, Mayor Galario deems it prudent to step down to obviate any possibility of chaos or clash in Valencia City, between his supporters and his power-obsessed opponents," one of Galario's lawyers said.
Ravanera said Galario "gracefully and reasonably conceded to the faxed order of Ombudsman-Manila in order to curtail any untoward incident."
Galario's suspension order was based on an administrative case filed against him by Valencia's budget officer Ruth Piano in 2001. Piano was dismissed by Galario from office. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (January 12, 2007 issue)
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