Malacañang takes action on negligence charge vs De Oro mayor

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Mayor Vicente Emano has about two weeks to answer a complaint for dereliction of duty and gross negligence that his detractors said worsened the devastation that struck the city on Dec. 17.

Malacañang gave Emano 15 days to submit his answer to the complaint filed by the Save CDO Now Movement, which the mayor described as a group of elites.

Emano has denied any wrongdoing and labeled the accusations as politically motivated.

Among the charges leveled on Emano were his failure to enforce a recommendation by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to keep danger zones in the city uninhabited.

Floods washed out hundreds of homes of mostly poor residents built on river borders and a sand bar in this city on Dec. 17. Logs that rolled down from the mountains of Lanao del Sur turned the floods deadlier.

Nearly 1,000 people were dead in this city alone.

In an order on Jan. 31 signed by Assistant Executive Secretary Ronaldo Geron, Emano was barred from filing a motion to dismiss the complaint.

A copy of the order was furnished the Save CDO Now Movement but Emano said he has yet to get his copy.

Tito Mora, the movement’s spokesperson, said his group was elated at Malacañang’s response because this showed that the government is working on the case against Emano.

“We feel that this is already a victory for us, for the Office of the President to act on our complaint against Emano,” said Teodulfo Lao, an Emano critic.

Emano said he was ready to face the charges and will abide by any decision Malacañang may make on his case. But he vowed to fight back through legal procedures.

On Thursday, Abigail Valte, one of Malacañang’s several spokespersons, said should Emano fail to submit his written reply on time, “that constitutes waiver of his participation in the proceedings.”

According to Valte, the task force that President Aquino formed to investigate and act on recommendations to prevent a repeat of the Dec. 17 disaster “continues to work toward identifying remedial measures and response … as well as identifying the accountability of officials.”

Valte said Executive Order No. 292 punishes neglect of duty among government officials with removal from service, demotion in rank, suspension, fine in an amount not exceeding salary for six months or reprimand. Bobby Lagsa, Inquirer Mindanao with Norman Bordadora in Manila