By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) over the weekend denied that it had a hand in the Nov. 12 “takeover” of Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas.
DILG regional director Nilo Castañares also denied that the Department installed Acenas as mayor, and Councilor Lourdes Darimbang as vice mayor, shortly after copies of the ombudsman’s dismissal order against Mayor Oscar Moreno and city treasurer Glenn Bañez was delivered to city hall.
Castañares said this in response to claims that it was the DILG that installed Acenas and Darimbang in the evening of Nov. 12.
The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the DILG and the ombudsman not to implement the dismissal order for 60 days after Moreno questioned the decision, and sought an injunction from the appellate court. On Thursday, Acenas and Darimbang announced they would obey the CA order, ending the five-day standoff at city hall.
Castañares said the DILG did not have anything to do with the Nov. 12 oathtaking of Acenas and Darimbang even as he stressed out that there was no notice or directive for the two officials to swear in.
Castañares said Acenas and Darimbang did it on their own. “Dili kami ang nagpa-take oath… on their own sila nag-take oath.”
He however explained that Acenas and Darimbang invoked the rule on automatic succession that requires the vice mayor and the councilor with the most number of votes to assume higher positions in case the mayoral post becomes vacant.
Castañares said the DILG’s only role that night was to serve the ombudsman’s dismissal order, and not make Acenas and Darimbang swear in as mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
Castañares said the DILG served the ombudsman’s dismissal order shortly before the oathtaking. The manner by which the DILG served the order was questioned by Moreno’s lawyer Mateo Delegencia who asserted that no one from the DILG delivered an official copy of the document to the Office of the City Mayor where Moreno was that night.
A copy of the dismissal order was posted near an elevator at city hall’s Legislative Building in the evening of Nov. 12. Acenas also secured copies of the document.
Acenas told a news conference on Thursday, “I was installed by law, through DILG.”
He said he and Darimbang had to assume as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, because they feared they would be charged with dereliction of duty if they did not take over immediately that evening.
During the same news conference, Darimbang claimed they were installed by the DILG.
Moreno and Bañez were ordered dismissed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales because of a 2014 settlement between city hall and Ajinomoto Philippines that lowered the tax assessment on the firm from P2.9 million to P300 thousand without the consent of the city council.
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