By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
MAYOR Oscar Moreno has pressed charges of usurpation of authority against former vice mayor Caesar Ian Acenas and nine of his political allies before the City Prosecutor’s Office.
Charged together with Acenas are councilors Nadya Elipe and Dometilo Acenas Jr., and former councilors Lourdes Darimbang, Adrian Barba, Dante Pajo, Ramon Tabor, Yan Lam Lim, Alex Dacer, and President Elipe.
In a nine-page complaint, Moreno accused Acenas and Co. of violation of Article 117 of the Revised Penal Code.
The complaint, filed on Friday afternoon, stemmed from Acenas’s and Darimbang’s attempt to take control of city hall in June 28 after the ombudsman rejected Moreno’s appeal in connection with the controversial tax settlement between the local government and Ajinomoto Philippines. The ombudsman upheld its decision to dismiss Moreno and to perpetually disqualify him from holding public office for grave misconduct based on the case filed by former Taglimao barangay chairman William Guialani.
Moreno said Acenas wrote Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional director Arnel Agabe in June 28 to notify the official that he has taken over as mayor.
“What bothered me is that a day earlier, on June 27, 2016, Vice Mayor Acenas appeared clueless. In his official capacity as vice mayor, he participated and presided over the last session of the 17th City Council where he even opted to bypass in the agenda my veto on the approved 2016 Executive Budget,” Moreno stated in his complaint.
Moreno said Acenas sent similar communications to city hall’s department heads.
He said former councilor Darimbang conspired with Acenas by attempting to assume as vice mayor while the rest of the respondents also took part by participating in a “special session”of the city council in the afternoon of June 28. He said the meeting was “hastily called” by Darimbang who “disregarded protocol.”
“The action of the respondents were maliciously deliberate, premeditated and concerted…”
Moreno said the other officials at that time conspired by passing two resolutions that recognized the “assumption” of Acenas and Darimbang, and authorizing them to be the bank signatories.
Moreno said all their actions gave rise “to a logical conclusion that the respondents consciously conspired with one another to perpetrate and consummate the criminal act.”
The complaint for usurpation of authority came two days after Moreno filed an “extremely urgent manifestation” to ask the 22nd Division of the Court of Appeals to cite Acenas, Darimbang, and their politicial allies in contempt.
In the eight-page motion, Moreno sought the contempt citation because the court rejected Acenas’s motion to intervene pertaining to the ombudsman’s adverse ruling against the mayor in a June 22 resolution.
Moreno said Acenas disrespected and defied the CA’s resolution by attempting a takeover at city hall.
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