Cabrera debunks malicious rumor vs. MBTF
NO FORTHCOMING SUSPENSION
WHAT suspension?
This was the reaction of Dagupan City Legal Officer Victoria Cabrera as she laughed off the malicious rumor circulated by her political detractors that Mayor Belen Fernandez will be suspended.
She told newsmen that only a civil case filed by AMB Holdings is pending against the mayor before the Ombudsman as the criminal case was already dismissed. She said a government official can only be suspended if he or she has a criminal case filed before the Ombudsman.
Cabrera said the Ombudsman was explicit when she ruled in that criminal case filed over the MC Adore issue that the mayor “has done her utmost best to protect the coffers of the city.”
“When you say suspension, you only expect suspension when an official has a pending criminal case before the Ombudsman,” she intoned.
She said her detractors exploited the mayor’s recent visit to Davao City and made it appear that she went to Davao to seek the help of President Duterte because of her supposed impending suspension.
Cabrera said Mayor Fernandez was in Davao to attend the meeting of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) while President Duterte was attending the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Peru.
She said the mayor in another case dismissed was tasked by the Ombudsman to investigate a contractor who she identified only as one Almonte and other persons who may have been involved in the irregular transaction concerning a project that was undertaken during the administration of Mayor Benjamin Lim.
The investigation is now being conducted by the City Legal Office.
The city legal officer said there is a case filed by another contractor, a money claim against the city for a structure he purportedly constructed during the past city administration but this is pending before the Commission on Audit, not the Ombudsman.
“This is a money claim against the city. The mayor can’t be suspended because of a money claim against the city. Her (mayor’s) position is, if COA says that the city has to pay this, then it will oblige.” Cabrera said.
The case remains unresolved because the claims were not processed through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and Cabrera said some of the papers presented by the contractor were defective. (Leonardo Micua)
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