04 Jul 3-Month Suspension of Mayor Oscar Moreno Issued by the Ombudsman
On Friday, July 1, the Ombudsman has issued an order to suspend the current Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno for 3 months.
Moreno has been suspended for violating the Section 3 (e) of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act said Carpio-Morales.
The graft charges have been served due to Barangay Puntod’s barangay captain Marvin Beja suing Moreno for allegedly spending P178,000 to lease a house for boxers under the City Sports Development Program in 2013.
Moreno said in his defense, “We are standing on strong legal ground. Our defense is clear – that budget spent to rent quarters for boxers no longer needed authorization from the city council.”
This case is only one of at least 80 cases filed against Moreno by the camp of former city mayor Vicente Emano, whom Moreno defeated twice in the election.
The much improved Sports Development Program that produced world class boxers like Prince Albert Pagara, Jason Pagara and, Milan Melindo, to name a few.
Lawyer Beda Joy Elot said that while waiting for the copy of the Ombudsman’s letter, they are studying their legal remedies for the case.
During Moreno’s weekly radio program on Saturday morning at 95.7 Mellow Touch FM, he said that even if he will not defy the order, he is confident that he will not be able to serve it still.
He said that his act of being suspended is during his first term as Mayor, now that he is already in his second term that started on June 30, 2016, suspension won’t take effect.
The mayor, along with acting city treasurer Glenn Bañez, is appealing his dismissal before the Court of Appeals.
He explained that the cases are organized by Emano. He said, “His heart is bleeding because he knows that as a result of any service I give to the people, he is drawn away from them. He fears being compared to me.”
Moreno defeated Emano in the Mayoral race in 2013 and recently in 2016.
For their projects in the city hall, Moreno said that they remained active in their public service. They are planning to add 800 more classrooms. In his previous term, 500 classrooms were built under the leadership of Moreno who sees education as a focal point in the city’s development.
This year, a second city-owned hospital with 25 beds will start construction in barangay Lumbia.
Modernization of the JR Borja General Hospital that contains 200 beds in it will also continue. This has been halted for 15 years under Emano’s leadership.
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