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By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

COUNCILOR Leon Gan yesterday welcomed the change of leadership in the city treasurer’s office but said the city council should find out why former acting city treasurer Glenn Bañez left.

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City hall and Bañez’s successor, Ramon Antonio Mendoza, said on Tuesday that the former city treasurer requested to be transferred back to the Quezon city government, his “mother unit,” where he served before he was “loaned” to Cagayan de Oro in 2013.

Gan said Bañez’s “resignation” came after he allegedly had a spat with Mayor Oscar Moreno. He said there was allegedly a “word war” between the two over a still unclear reason.

But Gan said Bañez’s exit was good news to many people in the local business sector. He said Bañez’s “resignation” made the local business sector heave a sigh or relief.

Bañez developed a reputation here as a very strict treasurer who did things by the book, and who strictly imposed higher taxes on firms without any consideration.

“Makalipay kini sa kabag-an nga mga negosyante tungod kay ang nakapuli dugay na sa serbisyo diha gyud mismo sa Treasurer’s Office,” he said. “Maayo kini nga panghitabo aron mahinloan nato ang opisina sa city treasurer.”

The new acting city treasurer was recommended by Moreno to the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) as Bañez’s replacement despite his associations with the mayor’s political enemies.

Mendoza was the choice of former vice mayor Caesar Ian Acenas for the treasurer’s office when he attempted to stage a city hall takeover in early 2016 after the ombudsman ordered Moreno and Bañez dismissed in connection with case filed because of the controversial Ajinomoto-city hall tax agreement. In Acenas’s notices to city hall’s banks during the standoff last year, Mendoza was designated as treasurer.

Gan said he and other councilors have started looking into the reason for Bañez’s “resignation.”

Mendoza earlier frowned over the word “resignation,” saying civil service career officials can’t resign without disrupting their government service. He said Bañez merely sought to be transferred.

Gan said it is the duty of the city council to find out the circumstances surrounding Bañez’s exit.

He said it was up to the city council, as a separate body from the executive, to look into Bañez’s exit. “Kahibalo ko nga ilang panalipdan apan ang katawhan mao gyud ang masayod tungod kay mga magbubuhis ang maapektahan.”

Gan said he also wanted to know the status of the “Ajinomoto” case that resulted in an ombudsman ruling to dismiss Moreno and Bañez. The decision was contested by Moreno before the Court of Appeals (CA) that subsequently ruled to stop the implementation of the ombudsman’s ruling.

Moreno, for his part, said Bañez would continue being defended by city hall in the “Ajinomoto” case.

“Supportahan pa gihapon siya sa siyudad,” he said.

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