NEWS BRIEFS

COUNCIL TESTS MIKE’S GAG ORDER

The Cebu City Council may be testing Mayor Michael Rama’s gag order on his department heads when they invited the General Service Office head to an executive session on May 16, 2012.

Department heads need his permission before appearing before the City Council under a memo issued by the mayor.

Legislators are in a quandary where to address their invitation to General Service Office (GSO) head Rolando Ardosa.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said the invitation should be addressed to Ardosa.  It would now be up to the GSO chief to decide if he should ask the mayor’s permission.

In a separate interview, the mayor said he would allow Ardosa to appear before the council if legislators can first tell him what the executive session is for and what Ardosa will have to talk about

Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa said it may set a “precedent” if the council writes the mayor to ask for Ardosa’s presence during their May 16 executive session.

“As a council, I don’t think there is a need for us to (channel our) request to the office of the mayor.  As a council, we can call anybody to appear in our executive sessions,” Abellanosa said on Wednesday.

Asked if there was a “remedy” if the mayor rejects the request, Councilor Jose Daluz said, “We will just cross the bridge when we get there.  For now, what we have are all presumptions.”

Mayor Rama said in a separate interview that inconveniences could have been avoided if the council only treated City Hall department heads well during their appearances.

“Don’t scold them or subject them to cross-examination because they are not there for an investigation,” he said.

Daluz’s resolution seeks to authorize the mayor to lease a warehouse for P58,500 per month from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2012.

He said GSO needs the warehouse located near City Hall for storage of city-owned properties and supplies.

The council wanted to know if the lease contract was a new one or a renewal.

Pending Ardosa’s appearance, councilors agreed to table Daluz resolution./Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac

BARANGAY CALAMBA ELECTION

Calamba barangay captain Victor Quijano will not be unseated soon.

Judge Monalila Tecson of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 1 declared Ester Concha the winner over incumbent barangay Captain Victor Quijano after a recount last March 13, 2012, but her decision cannot be implemented yet.

Tecson said that the rule requiring the courts to have with it original records for it to execute its orders is preventing her from implementing her ruling.

What is in the MTCC records according to Tecson are only duplicates as the original records have been forwarded to the central office of the Commission on Election (Comelec) in Manila.

Earlier this year, Tecson proclaimed Concha as the winner of the barangay captain seat after an official recount.

Concha garnered 2,539 votes against Quijano who only got 2,500 votes in the recount.

This was a reversal of the October 2010 results where Quijano was declared as winner with a lead of 81 votes.

Concha, a former captain captain of Calamba, filed a motion for a writ of execution of Tecson’s proclamation so she can assume the post.

But Quijano said Concha could not yet assume the post because the order was not yet final and executory. /UP masscom Intern Peter L. Romanillos