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Thursday, September 18, 2008
Guv silences city mayor, council
CEBU CITY -- Mandaue City's officials declared a truce Wednesday and vowed to stop issuing "inflammatory statements" to the press against their colleagues.
"Enough is enough," said Mayor Jonas Cortes, adding that they granted Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia's request to refrain from issuing statements about the conflict between the executive and legislative branches.
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Cortes and some members of the City Council again met on Wednesday in the governor's office, less than a week after the governor offered to mediate.
Garcia made her offer after hearing Mandaue City Police Office Chief Rodel Calungsud report that the city's crime rate increased by about 14 percent from January to August this year, compared to figures from the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol ordered Ombudsman Director Carla Narvios-Tanco to conduct a fact-finding inquiry on reports that the delivery of basic services in Mandaue City is starting to suffer because of the conflict.
But the fact-finding isn't punitive.
Apostol said his office can mediate between the mayor and the council or at least monitor the situation, if only to ensure that basic services continue to flow.
Businessman Crisologo Saavedra, for his part, said he has come up with what he calls a "Solomonic solution."
Saavedra said Wednesday that he plans to ask the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to recall "obstructionist" Mandaue City officials caught in political disagreements.
Whether these officials come from the administration or the opposition, or both, he cannot say yet, as he is still consulting a "civic-oriented concerned citizens' group" that is backing up his petition.
The group, though, refuses to be named, said Saavedra.
He said he has already asked Comelec Assistant Regional Director Veronico Petalcorin about the matter, and the lawyer reportedly assured him he was acting within Comelec laws.
The Comelec only allows the recall of government officials one year after the previous election period or one year before the next. In this case, one may file for a recall within May 2008 to May 2009.
Also on Wednesday, Calungsud called a press conference to deny that he blamed Mandaue City officials and their bickering for the rise in crime.
He also denied using the phrase "political bickering" in his presentation and instead acknowledged the help extended by the local government unit to the Mandaue police, including the turnover of 29 vehicles with drivers and the monthly supply of 23,000 liters of gasoline.
City Hall pays for the monthly incentives of 272 policemen, or P1,000 for old-timers and P750 for each newly assigned officer in Mandaue City. The City likewise pays for the Mandaue City Police Office's water, telephone and Internet bills.
Calungsod highlighted the increase in the city's crime solution efficiency, from 76 percent last year to 79.6 percent this year.
Last Tuesday, Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Ronald Roderos ordered Calungsud to stay in his office 24 hours a day, if necessary, and to bring the crime rate down.
For his part, Saavedra said that while he may not live in Mandaue, he "was responsible for helping free the people of Mandaue from a questionable administration," referring to the role he played in former Mandaue City mayor Thadeo Ouano's suspension during investigations on the Asean lamppost controversy.
"The situation in Mandaue is like a soap opera. As a crusader, I have decided to do something about it," he said.
Section 5 of Comelec Resolution 7505 provides "that the main petitioner in a petition for recall shall be any registered voter of the local government concerned," who was registered during the election of the questioned officials.
Section 6 provides the same criteria for the supporting petitioners of a recall, provided that they make up 15 percent of a voting population of 75,000 to 300,000 residents.
Saavedra said he only needs the support of 15 percent of Mandaue's registered voters. This means an estimated 21,600 signatures out of at least 144,000 Mandaue City voters.
He explained that the risk the recall petition would pose to officials who still plan to run for office would make them "get their act together."
"I'm hoping that the opposition and the administration of Mandaue will kiss and make up so that this (recall) will not push through," he said. (KNR/GMD/KAB/Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (September 18, 2008 issue)
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