Egay Uy .
THE City Council Committee on Health chair Councilor Ma. Lourdes S. Gaane recently met with the newly organized Smoke Free Task Force of Cagayan de Oro City thought Executive Order No. 102, series of 2018 issued by Mayor Oscar S. Moreno on June 11, 2018.
The task force is mandated to “ensure the strict compliance of the provisions of Executive Order No. 26,” “promote information dissemination regarding the salient provisions of EO No. 26” and “submit timely reports” of violations of the provisions of EO 26 and other related laws and city ordinances on smoking.
In the next meeting, the task force will tackle specific provisions of a draft city ordinance which will effectively amend Section 441 of the Codified Ordinance of Cagayan de Oro [Ordinance 4373-94]. I have read the draft and it is quite comprehensive. With the refinements that will be introduced to it, the draft ordinance will dramatically amend Section 441.
***
On the invitation by Mr. Nestor Banuag Jr., of the XU Social Development Office, I attended a forum at Xavier University on the proposed creation of an anti-corruption international court. The main discussant would have been Dr. Emil Bolongaita but unfortunately there were hitches in his flight to Cagayan de Oro from Manila.
The ensuing discussions were nonetheless fruitful with the active participation of those in attendance. Issues and solutions were presented to serve as the general guide of the next meetings that will be conducted.
It was my first time to attend such a meeting and I think it was a good start. While the country already has good laws, it is in the implementation side that may be wanting even as there have been convictions handed down by the the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.
***
Lately, there have been posts on Facebook about the conviction of Mr. President D. Elipe and his sister Pristine for the infamous daily time record entries. I checked the Sandiganbayan website and indeed posted was a Decision of the Fourth Division that imposed the penalties of imprisonment of up to 10 years plus fine in two criminal cases.
We can expect the accused to avail of the legal remedies – from a motion for reconsideration at the Sandiganbayan to elevation of the case to higher courts on an appeal or petition for certiorari. In the meantime that the decision has not become final yet, the siblings may still be presumed innocent.
Public service indeed has its perks, responsibilities and accountabilities.
(Egay Uy is a lawyer who serves in the city’s Regulatory and Complaints Board, and the local price coordinating council.)
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
