Again, Moreno asks CA to stop dismissal orders

ANOTHER petition for a temporary restraining order and writ of preliminary injunction was filed by Mayor Oscar Moreno before the Court of Appeals here on Friday.

Moreno’s petition was filed in connection with the new cases of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the interest of the service,  and serious dishonesty that was filed against the mayor and former members of the capitol’s bids and awards committee by Engr. Antonio Nuñez. He accused them of causing the capitol’s rental of heavy equipment without public bidding from 2007 to 2012 when Moreno was governor.

The mayor’s petition, filed on his behalf by his lawyer Dale Bryan Mordeno, seeks to prevent the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government from implementing the ombudsman’s decision to dismiss and bar Moreno and the other respondents from the government service.

Mordeno submitted the 38-pages petition for certiorari with the application for the issuance of a TRO and/or status quo ante, and writ of preliminary injunction to the CA on Friday afternoon.

Joining Moreno in the petition are other respondents: former capitol officials Elsie Lopoy, Elmer Wabe, Rolando Pacuribot, and former administrative aide Leemar Tinagan.

The petition was for the five latest rulings of the ombudsman dated March 3, 7,13, and June 2 and 20.

Mordeno cited 26 reasons in the petition. One was that a special audit team from the Commission on Audit “ignored” COA rules on the proper procedures in doing special audit on the rental of heavy equipment.

“The question as to the finality or non-finality of the notice of suspension, notice of disallowance was put to rest in the certification dated February 3, 2017, issued by the commission secretariat of the Commission on Audit as to the pendency  of the petition for review,” reads part of the petition. (nitz arancon)