MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede are under fire for allegedly defying a suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Two residents, Karina Sinda Labos and Lea May Tumulak Miñoza, filed a formal complaint before the anti-graft office’s Visayas division on Sept. 17, 2024, accusing the officials of grave misconduct and usurpation of public authority.
Accusations
The complaint states that Cortes, who received a one-year suspension order on Aug. 21 following an improper appointment, continued to perform mayoral duties between Aug. 22 and Sept. 7.
Alleged violations include signing official documents and representing the city at public events.
Bercede is accused of failing to assume the role of acting mayor as required by law.
The complainants seek immediate action, including the termination of both officials and their permanent disqualification from holding government positions.
Confusion
According to the complainants, Cortes’ continued presence at public gatherings and official events created confusion among the public and misrepresented his legal status.
They said one notable incident took place last Aug. 22, when Cortes signed a certificate of urgency concerning a memorandum of agreement between Mandaue City and a private company, Cebu Landmasters Inc.
Labos and Miñoza pointed to incidents of “usurpation and grave misconduct,” including the clean-up drive at the abandoned Cebu International Convention Center compound where Cortes was referred to as “Mayor Jonas” in videos showing him representing the city. They also noted that Cortes “acted as mayor” during the send-off ceremony for Mandaue City’s contingent to the recent Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.
Other events mentioned include Cortes’ participation in the Cebu Tourism Investment Forum, the Mandaue Food Fair, and the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Mandaue City Government Center.
Failure to comply
The complainants argue that Bercede, who was supposed to assume the role of acting mayor as per the Local Government Code, also failed to comply with the suspension order.
Labos and Miñoza requested that Bercede be preventively suspended, and after a hearing on the merits of the case, they urged that Bercede and Cortes be terminated from service and perpetually disqualified from holding any elective and appointive positions in the government or any agencies or instrumentalities, including government-owned and -controlled corporations.
The two argued in their Sept. 17 complaint that the actions of the two officials were an “extreme insult, disrespect, and mockery” to the Office of the Ombudsman. / CAV