By LITO RULONA
Correspondent
FORMER Misamis Oriental governor Antonio Calingin yesterday urged Mayor Oscar Moreno to seriously consider packing up and leaving city hall, saying that the political crisis the embattled local chief executive is going through would likely worsen and cause him unimaginable stress.
“I can relate with what’s happening to him. Nabati ko usab kanang iyang gibati. Grabe ang stress ana. Magpakita lang ko nga dili affected but deep inside, grabe na,” said Calingin.
Calingin had fought a legal battle over a suspension order by Malacanang that started in November 2003. The interior department stretched the suspension order from two months to six months, making it impossible for the then governor to return to his post before the 2004 elections.
The administrative case stemmed from the capitol’s procurement of equipment for the Misamis Oriental Telephone System (Misortel) in Gingoog City. Calingin said it was a “rehash” of a 2001 case filed against him.
“Eventually, I was exonerated. But that is how politics and the judicial system work in our country,” Calingin said.
He said it would not be wise for Moreno to force the issue.
“Mahurot lang iyang kuwarta. Or exit na lang siya. No love lost ko kang Moreno pero na-feel ko lang kung unsa iyang gibati karon,” Calingin said.
In a situation like what is happening at city hall, Calingin said, Moreno’s “world is going to get smaller every day.”
He noted that Moreno was only able to secure a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals (CA).
“After the 60 days, unsa man ang mahitabo kaniya? Balik na sab sa primero?” he asked.
Calingin said he tried to prevent the suspension order from being served to him when he was governor by seeking a TRO, and then a permanent injunction from the court.
He said he succeeded in securing a 20-day TRO, and subsequently convinced a court to issue a permanent injunction.
Calingin said the Office of the President received a copy of the TRO on Feb. 16, 2004, 10 days after the police forced his group out of the provincial farmhouse.
He said he would pack up and leave city hall if he were in Moreno’s shoes, “save money, and consolidate the political forces.”
Calingin also urged Moreno to read the writings on the wall, and see that the administration Liberal Party (LP) has already dropped him. He said, “Ma-stress lang siya, pack up na. Please use your common sense. Gihulog na siya sa partido. Even Malacanang cannot help him tungod kay usa siya sa napili-an nga itagak sa partido.”
Calingin said Moreno can choose to step down for a while, and work for his return if he succeeds in getting himself cleared from the case filed in connection with the city hall-Ajinomoto Philippines tax settlement.
Incidentally, Calingin said Moreno, then the representative of Misamis Oriental’s 1st District, allegedly had a hand in his removal from the capitol. In 2004, Moreno was elected governor of the province.
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