Prov’l board affirms Dumanjug mayor’s suspension
Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia, seen here during the Provincial Board (PB) session, says he will decide on what course to take after they decide on the length of his suspension.
(CDN Photo/Lito Tecson)
The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) yesterday approved a committee recommendation to suspend Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia for six months on charges of grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority.
No objections were made during the 10-minute discussion attended by 14 members including Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale. Only PB Member Joven Mondigo Jr. was absent.
However, PB Member Alex Binghay moved to reduce the six-month penalty to three months.
Complaint
PB Member Arleigh Sitoy, who heads the committee, said Binghay’s motion will be taken up this week. He said a resolution will be presented in next Monday’s session.
Mayor Garcia, who was present, said he will wait for the PB’s decision concerning the length of the suspension.
He accused the PB committee of not following due process.
In 2013, Dumanjug Vice Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica filed an administrative complaint against Garcia after the mayor designated Emmylou Cabonillas as municipal council secretary.
Gica argued that it is only the vice mayor who can appoint the municipal secretary.
Mayor Garcia will have 30 days to file a motion for reconsideration in court or seek other legal remedies from the day the PB decides on the length of the suspension.
Last year, Garcia was preventively suspended for 60 days by Gov. Hilario Davide III while investigation on the case was still ongoing.
Due process
Garcia yesterday said the board did not follow due process.
He said the PB did not nominally vote on the recommendation of the committee or explain why they were in favor of it.
The mayor said that the board members who were not part of the committee were not even furnished copies of the evidence presented during the hearings.
“They didn’t even know based on documents whether I really am at fault. All they based their decision on was the committee report,” he said in an interview after the session.
Concerted effort
Garcia also questioned why PB Member Grecilda “Gigi” Sanchez-Zaballero, the proponent of the report, was so eager to have him suspended.
Zaballero said the committee deliberated on the report as a whole.
“It’s a concerted effort. Everyone gave their opinion,” she said./With Correspondent Melissa Q. Cabahug
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