CA ruling also killed election case vs Oca

By NITZ ARANCON, Correspondent

THE appellate court’s decision to trash the case for grave misconduct against Mayor Oscar Moreno in connection with the 2013 tax settlement between city hall and Ajinomoto Philippines Inc. has made the disqualification case against him water under the bridge.

“The disqualification case is now moot and academic,” said lawyer and former vice mayor Antonio Soriano.

The disqualification case was filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) by former Taglimao barangay chairman William Guialani who argued that Moreno should be considered disqualified from the mayoral race in May because the Office of the Ombudsman found him guilty of grave misconduct and ordered the mayor dismissed and barred from holding public office last year.

The 22nd Division of the Court of Appeals (CA) dismissed the charges against Moreno and reversed the ombudsman’s decision in its Oct. 13 resolution.

Incidentally, Guialani is the same man who filed the complaint against Moreno and city treasurer Glenn Bañez before the ombudsman.

“Wala nay bili,” said Soriano of the disqualification case.

Moreno lawyer, Mateo Delegencia, said the Comelec never acted on Guialani’s disqualification case, and the more it would not give weight to it in view of the CA ruling.

“Hangtud karon, wala man kami makadawat sa notice of hearing sa disqualification case ni Guialani. Bo-ot pasabot nga wala tagda   sa Comelec ang iyang   reklamo,” Delegencia said.

Another Moreno lawyer, Dale Bryan Mordeno, said he would still inform the Comelec about the CA decision through a manifestation in an effort to convince the Commission that the mayor should not be disqualified.

Over ABS-CBN here, Mordeno said the Oct. 13 CA ruling resulted in a reversal of roles as it turned the tables on the mayor’s accusers. “Now, they’re the ones in search of legal remedies.”