Duranos slug it out in recall petition

MORE than three weeks after his brother filed a recall petition against him, Danao City Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano Jr. filed his own recall petition against Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Danao City.

The mayor was accompanied by his lawyer and city legal officer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu and his co-petitioner, City Administrator Jesus “Don” Durano, in filing the recall petition at past 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

Named respondents were the vice mayor and city councilors Carmen Remedios Meca, Miguel Antonio Magpale, Jorge Cane, Jose Thaddeus Roble Jr., Cynthia Duterte, Alejandro Lawas, Marilou Camaongay-Flores, Roland Reyes and Jovelina Enriquez.

Like the vice mayor and the council, Mayor Durano and the city administrator cited “loss of confidence” as a reason behind the petition.

Among the grounds cited was the passage of resolutions and ordinances that supposedly encroached on the mayor’s authority.

One such resolution declared the City Training Center of the Executive Department as the “new legislative building.”

The mayor complained about the vice mayor’s signing of 111 disbursement vouchers and 91 checks without his consent.

Another resolution sought to make the vice mayor a “co-signatory with the mayor” in an agreement or contract.

Mayor Durano likewise complained that the council failed to appropriate funds for the salaries of casual, emergency and job order employees.

While there were no appropriation of funds for honoraria and allowances of scholars, day care workers and tanods, Mayor Durano said the council proposed the creation of 200 positions for casual, emergency, and job order employees which “are not operable.”

The mayor then questioned an ordinance giving the vice mayor “exclusive power” to appoint casual, job order and emergency employees and sign travel orders and the disbursement of vouchers.

In a press conference, Dalawampu said the council’s actions were intended to paralyze the mayor’s office.

The mayor said there is no reconciliation between him and the vice mayor.

“What the vice mayor did was condemnable,” Mayor Boy said.

Some Danao City councilors also witnessed the filing of the recall petition yesterday afternoon.

City Councilor and Provincial Board Member Carmen Durano-Meca said in a text message to Cebu Daily News that they will allow “the people to decide” on this matter.

The recall petition filed by the vice mayor and the council was backed by 45,000 signatures from 42 barangays in the city.

But it was reduced to 33,000 since the Comelec needed only 15,000 signatures. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus