CAGAYAN DE ORO—Mayor Oscar Moreno had no knowledge of a settlement with Ajinomoto Philippines, according to city treasurer Glenn Bañez, but William Guialani, the former village chair who sued the two of them at the Ombudsman, believes otherwise.
Bañez told reporters here that he was the one who entered into the settlement with Ajinomoto and that he was solely responsible for it.
He said the settlement agreement, which allowed Ajinomoto to pay only P300,000 instead of the original business tax deficiency of P2.9 million, was the result of court mediation.
In 2014, Ajinomoto sued the city government after its products were reclassified from essential to nonessential commodity. This allowed the city government to collect more from the firm.
When city hall agreed to lower the amount it wanted the company to pay, the court dismissed Ajinomoto’s suit.
Bañez said Moreno was not aware of the court settlement.
“It was my belief then that the court wanted us to enter into a compromise and that there was no need for the mayor to know because it was just an assessment,” he said, adding the city treasurer had the power to assess and reassess fees to be paid to the city.
But Guialani said it was impossible for Moreno not to know what was going on.
Guialani said Moreno was also among officials that Ajinomoto sued so it was unbelievable that the executive had no knowledge of the transaction.
“It’s not possible for Moreno not to know,” he said.
Moreno was sacked by the Ombudsman and barred for life from public office because of the deal with Ajinomoto.
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The mayor said he would appeal the decision, which Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales had signed.
Moreno, meanwhile, said he had no plans of leaving Liberal Party (LP) following the suggestion of his primary accuser that the Ombudsman’s act dismissing him from office was “politically motivated.”
Guialani was quoted by a local daily as saying that the Ombudsman decision was part of a plot by Moreno’s own party to eliminate him from the race in favor of a stronger candidate.
“The decision of the Ombudsman is already programmed by LP, seeing that Moreno’s candidacy is weak,” he was quoted as saying.
Guialani, who is seeking a city council seat in 2016 as an independent, sees 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who is running for mayor, as the likely beneficiary of Moreno’s present predicament.
Moreno’s allies immediately pounced on Guialani’s statement, saying it portrayed the Ombudsman as an unreliable institution that could be manipulated by outside interests.
“By this irresponsible statement, Mr. Guialani confirms what has been obvious for some time: That the case he brought against Mayor Moreno has no basis at all, but only designed for certain political purpose,” said city hall spokesperson Maricel Rivera.
“It seems Mr. Guialani is not interested in seeking the truth, and only after of whatever political fallout his complaint may generate,” Rivera added.
Marlon Tabac, one of Moreno’s 19 allies in the barangay, said the Ombudsman should have reviewed Guialani’s “shadowy past,” noting that the former village chief once admitted to bribing a local official to secure a juicy government contract.
Guialani also has a pending case for acts of lasciviousness, brought by a 16-year old assistant at a restaurant he once owned.
“The people know who he (Guialani) is. He does whatever it takes to get what he wants, even if means resorting to illegal moves,” Tabac said.
Moreno said he still had confidence in the administration party and suspected that the reported disappearance of his counteraffidavit at the Ombudsman’s possession was a machination “by a certain group.” He did not elaborate.
He reiterated his respect for the Ombudsman’s ruling and said the only problem was that his April 20 counteraffidavit was not given due consideration when the antigraft body decided on his case. With a report from Danilo Adorador III