Ex-city hall worker maintains Osmeña commits violation for appointing 2 acting mayors

FORMER Cebu City Hall employee Aniceto Abbey Canturias stood firm on his accusation that Mayor Tomas Osmeña committed violation when he jointly appointed two acting mayors while he was on leave.

Canturias filed a case against Osmeña before the Ombudsman Visayas for violation of Section 3(a) and (e) of Republic Act 6713 and Republic Act No. 10, or An Act Penalizing Usurpation of Public Authority last August.

In his counter-affidavit dated last October 28, Osmeña said the accusations against him were false, baseless and ill-motivated. Osmeña asked the Ombudsman Visayas to dismiss the case filed against him and Acting City Administrator Veronica Morelos.

Canturias told the Ombudsman Visayas in his reply to Osmeña’s counter-affidavit that he has sufficient factual basis to file the case against the mayor for the irregular and anomalous memorandum.

Osmeña earlier issued a memorandum appointing Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and Morelos as acting mayors while he was on vacation with his family in Japan from July 23 to July 27.

Osmeña said in his counter affidavit that appointing two acting mayors was done in good faith. But Canturias said it cannot be denied that the mayor showed partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence.

He further said that never did it happen that two acting mayors serve one local government unit.