Durano clan poll feud cripples Danao gov’t
Unpaid salaries of employees since January this year.
Undelivered medical services and other assistance to the barangays.
And unsigned travel vouchers of officials that remain piled up and unsigned.
These are some of the signs of neglect that plague the Danao City government due to the ongoing feud between Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano and younger brother Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano.
In yesterday’s press conference, Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said she received word from Danao City barangays that medical services and funding for programs were not approved by Mayor Durano.
Her disclosure echoed a previous statement from Vice Mayor Durano and the council who said in a press conference that the mayor didn’t sign the payroll of the employees since April this year.
The vice mayor together with 36 barangay captains filed a recall petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Danao City against Mayor Durano at 11 a.m yesterday.
The recall petition had 26,000 signatures. Magpale said this is the first recall petition ever filed in Cebu’s history.
“It is a process. It’s part of the democratic role. We will just watch what the public’s judgement is on the case,” the vice governor said.
In a TV interview, Nito said the mayor failed to file a supplemental budget that would have covered the salaries of both regular and job order employees for six months.
The filing of the petition was witnessed by Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI of Cebu’s 5th district, who said the political feud is best left for the city officials to resolve among themselves. Magpale echoed her nephew’s sentiments.
“I feel sad personally because both are my relatives. They’ve run together in the last election but things are different now,” she said.
Both Nito and Boy ran under the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) Party in the May 2010 elections.
Magpale said any attempts at “reconciliation” were made to no avail.
Even the department heads are divided, she said.
“The vice mayor was willing to compromise for the sake of the 600 employees but the other party won’t agree to a deal,” said Magpale.
The City Council filed a complaint against the mayor before the Office of the Ombudsman last April for alleged delays in the release of disbursement vouchers to refund their money claims.
The mayor filed a countercharge asking the Ombudsman to investigate the vice mayor and the councilors for passing an ordinance that ordered the reorganization of some offices under the executive department.
Last May, the mayor filed a complaint against Vice Mayor Nito for usurpation of official functions before the Danao City Prosecutor’s Office.
Boy filed 111 counts of usurpation of official functions against Nito for allegedly issuing disbursement vouchers and another 91 counts for the issuance of several checks.
The vice mayor said his recall petition is supported by two sisters: former Provincial Board member Judy Sybeco and Beatrice Calderon, mother of Provincial Board Member Peter John Calderon and Samboan Mayor Raymond Joseph Calderon.
There are five surviving Durano siblings—Beatrize, Lydia Rodriguez, Boy, Don, Judy and Nito.
Former Sogod Mayor Thaddeus Durano, the sixth of the Durano siblings, died of lung cancer in 2009. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus
