DELUTE (Right)
THE main complainant in the calamity aid case against Cebu City officials asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to approve the exemption sought by the Office of the President from the election ban on suspensions.
In his motion to the Comelec, lawyer Reymelio Delute said implementing the six-month suspension order against Mayor Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and 12 city councilors will not influence the conduct of the coming elections.
“For one, all but two of the respondents are running in the elections. The only two candidates for vice mayor are both subject to the suspension sought to be implemented. The other respondents who are candidates for councilor are running against each other,” he said in his motion.
The motion was penned on April 15 and was received by the Comelec’s law department the next day on April 16.
Delute said that of the 14 respondents, six belong to Team Rama while the other eight are with the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK).
Just last week, the Comelec en banc decided to put on hold any discussion on the suspension order until after the May 9 elections.
They based their decision on their earlier decision last March 29 saying that with the suspension, other candidates will use the opportunity to influence the conduct of the elections.
Delute said the Comelec should not allow itself to be used by erring elective officials especially since the decision went through almost two years of investigation.
He also said the effectivity of the suspension issued by the Office of the President is only until the end of the term of the officials which is on June 30.
“Failing to act would be grave injustice to the complainant, the government officials who have spent time and effort to study, investigate and rule upon this case and to the people of the City of Cebu who have been deprived of government funds that were diverted to private uses through respondents’ abuse of authority,” Delute said.
In 2013, the city government gave a P20,000 across-the-board calamity aid to each City Hall employee after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and Supertyphoon Yolanda.
This prompted Delute to file a case of grave misconduct and abuse of authority against the officials before the Office of the President in 2014.
Earlier this month, the Office of the President issued a decision suspending the city officials for being guilty of the allegations.
Delute said there was an earlier suspension ordered against Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan Cesante last April 7.
He said this incident should prove that there is no reason for the Comelec not to allow the enforcement of the suspension order issued against Cebu City officials.