Ecotourism mayor shows up despite suspension threat

ALOGUINSAN Municipal Mayor Cynthia Moreno pushed for environment protection as a top agenda at a Capitol meeting yesterday despite facing a 90-day preventive suspension order that will be served any day now.

“No, I haven’t received any copy of the order yet,” Moreno told reporters about the Sandiganbayan’s order that was deemed final by the Supreme Court last March 19.

She showed up to represent the Bojo Aloguinsan Community-Based Tourism Association in a pre-summit meeting to prepare for an October 2 Consultative Stakeholders Summit called by Gov. Hilario Davide III at the Cebu International Convention Center.

Moreno, who last July won a national ecotourism award as Inang Kalikasan for initiating the Bojo River Ecotour, faces an old graft case over a supply contract for steel materials for the Aloguinsan Municipal Hall which was allegedly awarded without public bidding in 2007.

“No comment,” she said yesterday about the case.

Last Aug. 22, the Sandiganbayan released a copy of the suspension order to the Department of Interior and Local Government. All eight officials impleaded in the case, including Moreno, posted a P30,000 cash bond.

Her husband is the vice mayor of Aloguinsan and will take over once she is suspended.

Political differences

Moreno, who ran under the One Cebu party in the last election, said she and Governor Davide who heads the Liberal Party in Cebu have set aside political differences.

“Our governor did not mind the difference in political affiliation for the development of the province. He is trying to get the consensus of everybody that’s why his governance now is good,” she said.

Aloguinsan town, she said, is concerned about environmental protection especially with their thrust in promoting ecotourism with the Bojo River Cruise.

“We are into ecotourism. That’s why I raised the issue of environment protection. We have to give that proper protection to mitigate climate change and with our thrust now shifting to ecotourism,” she said.

Representatives from labor, trade and industry, tourism, and peace and order attended the meeting. Governor Davide was unable to join as he was in Manila for a Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority board meeting.  /Correspondent Peter Romanillos