Moreno supporters gather outside city hall, wait for CA decision

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

SUPPORTERS of Mayor Oscar Moreno trooped to city hall yesterday afternoon, hours aftear the local chief executive asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to stop the interior department from serving an ombudsman’s order for his dismissal and disqualification from public office.

Some 1,500 gathered outside city hall yesterday afternoon, said Senior Insp. Glenn Abalde, chief of the Divisoria police.

Moreno’s supporters heard mass and waited for hours. As of 6:40 pm, there was no attempt by anyone to serve the ombudsman’s order, and there was no decision from the appellate court yet.

If the ombudsman’s order is served, Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin Uy would assume as mayor, and Councilor Zaldy Ocon would become vice mayor by rule of automatic succession. The two are Moreno’s partymates.

Moreno has been slapped with the dismissal and perpetual disqualification order after he was found administratively liable for the capitol’s lease of heavy equipment without a public bidding when he was governor of Misamis Oriental. The ombudsman found him administratively guilty of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the interest of public service, serious dishonesty, and gross neglect of duty, and decided to bring him to the anti-graft court.

The Oct. 6, 2016 decision was only made known a few weeks ago.

Moreno has questioned the ombudsman’s decision, and his lawyer Dale Bryan Mordeno filed an urgent motion for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) before the Court of Appeals (CA).

The TRO, if granted, would momentarily stop the Department of Interior of Local Government (DILG) from implementing and serving the ombudsman’s decision against Moreno and his coespondents. The other respondents are former members of the capitol’s bids and awards committee: Engr. Roland Pacuribot, Patrick Gabutina, Elsie Lopoy, Elmer Wabe, Divina Bade, lawyer Cancio Guibone and Leemar Tinagan.

Mordeno said his client filed the urgent motion yesterday because the CA has yet to act on his petition for a TRO that was submitted on Thursday.

He said the delay was a result of the decision of CA associate justices to inhibit from the case apparently because they saw Moreno as a “close acquaintance.”

Mordeno said the mayor has also filed a motion for reconsideration before the ombudsman, and asked it to reverse its decision.

“We will fight this out to the last breath, so to speak,” said Mordeno.

The case was filed by Antonio Nuñez, husband of the lawyer of former Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas. Acenas attempted to take over as mayor of the city in early 2016 after Moreno was slapped with a similar order by the ombudsman in relation to another case.

In the case, Nuñez accused Moreno and the BAC members of making the capitol rent heavy equipment  in 2007, 2010 and 2011 without public biddings.

One of the rally organizers yesterday, Gusa barangay chairman Marlo Tabac, said people came to show their support and to seek justice for Moreno.

Tabac said it was clear to them that the case was filed because of partisan politics.

“Halos tanang barangay sa Cagayan de Oro, nag-organize usab  sa ilang mga kaugalingon, aron  ipakita sa katawhan, nga si Moreno angayan gayud hagatan sa  hustisya,” Tabac said.