By NITZ ARANCON
with SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondents
VICE Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas yesterday stepped down with a threat: “Mayor (Oscar) Moreno, your days are numbered.”
Acenas announced he would take back his old post to comply with the 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) by the Court of Appeals (CA).
During a news conference at city hall yesterday morning, he called Moreno a hypocrite and a “wolf.”
Acenas said he did not care how his pronouncement would be interpreted. “Let the words that came from my mouth be hanging.”
Councilor Lourdes Darimbang announced, too, that she would follow the CA order, and return to her work as a councilor.
Acenas and Darimbang wasted no time and swore in as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, in the evening of Nov. 12, right after the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) delivered and posted copies of a dismissal order from the ombudsman against Moreno and city treasurer Glenn Bañez.
Moreno’s lawyer Mateo Delegencia earlier said an official copy of the order was not served or delivered by the DILG to Moreno.
Acenas and Darimbang said they have decided to voluntarily step aside because they respected the CA’s decision, and after the appellate court made it clear through a resolution that the TRO meant a status quo.
The CA resolution was issued on Wednesday in response to the DILG’s manifestation that sought a clarification of the Nov. 13 TRO.
Despite the TRO, Acenas said he was convinced that he has remained as the city’s mayor and that Darimbang is the vice mayor, explaining that he succeeded Moreno last week.
Acenas maintained that he assumed as mayor by way of automatic succession as mandated by law, and that his actions were a result of his worry that he might be charged with dereliction of duty.
“Ma-o nang dili gyud pod intawon ko mabasol nganong akong gihimo ang akong function isip mayor sa dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro,” he said.
Acenas said that since the CA has already spoken, he would follow. “Na-a man poy bala-od nga ma-oy nagpabalik kanato. Atong respitohan ang bala-od. But I still believe together with Councilor Darimbang that I’m the installed mayor of Cagayan de Oro, and she’s the installed vice mayor after Oscar Moreno was dismissed by the ombudsman.”
He said he decided to step down because he wanted peace in the city, and to show that he was a law-abiding citizen.
Acenas said he would return to the city council on Monday, and preside over its session. He did not say if the city council would take back its resolution last week that officially recognized him as mayor and Darimbang as vice mayor.
He lashed out at Moreno over what he called as the mayor’s “hypocricy” but did not elaborate.
“Mao nang ako maghangyo unta kang Mayor Oscar Moreno, please, Mayor Oscar Moreno, stop your hypocricy. Ang nakabutang diha imo karon, you’re just like a wolf in a sheep’s wool. Ayaw intawon palihog linglaha ang mga tawo sa Cagayan de Oro,” Acenas said.
He was all praises for Moreno’s accuser William Guialani, and said he hoped more people would be like him in Cagayan de Oro.
“I am also calling the people of Cagayan de Oro nga unta daghan ang William Guialani,” said Acenas.
Darimbang, meanwhile, said she had no plans of taking her oath as vice mayor but she did that because she was installed by the DILG.
She said, “Dili mi hakog sa gahom.”
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