Dalaguete mayor serves 9-month suspension

Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante started serving yesterday the nine-month suspension order issued by the Ombudsman against him for benefiting from transactions that required approval from his office.

Effective April 8, Vice Mayor Jeffrey Belciña is acting mayor of the southern town.

Lawyer Rene Burdeos, DILG 7 director, said clearances from the central offices of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and (Commission on Elections (Comelec) to implement the suspension were received by DILG 7 last Wednesday.

He said Cesante picked up the suspension notice at the (DILG 7) office in Sitio Sudlon, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City on Thursday afternoon.

The mayor had asked the Court of Appeals to issue a temporary restraining order and filed an urgent motion for the Ombudsman to decide on his motion for reconsideration that was filed in December last year.

“Pending the decision of the CA, I am constrained to issue a statement,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered Cesante’s suspended on Nov. 15, 2015 for “having material and financial interests in transactions requiring approval from his office.”

DILG 7 received the order on Dec. 17, 2015, but Burdeos said they had to wait for clearances from DILG and Comelec. Under the Comelec guidelines, suspension of local elective officials is prohibited from January 10 to June 8, except for those issued by the anti-graft office.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Ildebrando Almagro, former municipal engineer who is now Cesante’s challenger in this year’s elections.

Almagro is running under the Garcia-led One Cebu while Cesante is seeking reelection under the Liberal Party (LP).

Almagro said Cesante and wife Joanna have occupied four stalls in the public market without a contract, which would have amounted to a monthly rental of P7,000 and spaces worth P250,000 each.