Mandaue City still hopeful of Mayor Jonas Cortes?

[markokintolimbo]

mao jud na pinaka corrupt nga agency sa government mao nga ban ang mga tagalog pag pangutang sa World Bank regarding ato gi exposed ni sen. lacson bisan wala project ipa gahin jud nila ang budjet pagka paet maayo nalang taga CEBU kay ganahan ang taga World Bank sa atoa kay Makabayad jud kita lets us see kung unsa na ang cebu karun daghan na mga developments unsaun kini mga kongregista nag salig ana PORK BARREL mao nay ka ut-ut sa atoa naa koy na heard about ana nga wagtangun nalang na cya pork barrel kay wala pulos na klase nga budget proposal wala nakita jud..

[spec_tot101]

Our condolences to your family, mayor. your mother was a great woman. she raised a great son.

[reclamador]

Quote: Originally Posted by spec_tot101 Our condolences to your family, mayor. your mother was a great woman. she raised a great son.

i agree . keep up the GOOD work, mayor. God Bless you, your Mom and your family !

[vulture08]

he's a responsible MAYOR.....Condolence MAYOR JONAS....

[cool item]

ok man si jonas. ang problema lang kay majority sa mga mandaue officials kay for ouano man. unsaon kuno paglambo kung ing ana?

[Canucks]

Quote: Originally Posted by cool item ok man si jonas. ang problema lang kay majority sa mga mandaue officials kay for ouano man. unsaon kuno paglambo kung ing ana?

Molambo gihapon unta atong siyudad ug kalimyan lang unta aning atong mga opposition Councilors ang ilang political affiliation. Ang kadaut gud ani nila kay bisan maka ayo sa Mandaue sige babag/supak. Nigamit kaha ni sila sa ilang mga utok?? Insakto gyud ko nga wa ko mo vote ani nila ...! I sure hope this is a wake up call for all Mandauehanons. Ug molansar pa ni sila ayaw na intawn mo pailad ug usab!

[spec_tot101]

Quote: Originally Posted by cool item ok man si jonas. ang problema lang kay majority sa mga mandaue officials kay for ouano man. unsaon kuno paglambo kung ing ana?

maski naa na sila sige ug babag, ni lambo sad gamay ang mandaue oi. tiaw mo na. sa first 2 years pa lang ni mayor cortes 3 na kabuok barangay hall ang nahuman, another 3 hapit na mahuman. thats 6 barangay halls during his 1st term. bahala na na sila sige babag. naa gihapoy nabuhat.

[spec_tot101]

`Drop Teddy Ouano from lamppost case'

Saturday, July 11, 2009

By Karlon N. Rama

AN ALLY of former Mandaue City mayor Thadeo Ouano wants the Mandaue City Council to dip its hands into the Asean Summit lamppost controversy even if the matter is now with the Sandiganbayan.

Councilor Victor Biaño, through two draft resolutions submitted to the council for approval last Tuesday, said he wants the body to express "serious misgivings and genuine concern on the outcome of the cases."

In one of the draft resolutions, he proposed that the council "prod the ombudsman to drop from the charges former city mayor Thadeo Z. Ouano and the Mandaue engineers."

The rule on sub judice notwithstanding, he argued that neither Ouano nor the council entered into any contract for the allegedly overpriced procurement.

In the other draft resolution, he proposed that the council "view with grave concern the apparent prejudice shown by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas" against the ex-mayor.

In that resolution, Biano cited how the anti-graft office supposedly resolved to indict Ouano even though the Commission on Audit (COA) did not identify him as one of those involved in the transaction.

Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Santiago declined to comment on the proposed resolution because of the sub judice rule.

Sub judice

She said the matter is now with the Sandiganbyan, pursuant to the resolution the anti-graft office submitted after a reinvestigation of the matter. It is now up to the Sandigan-bayan to rule on the case.

The sub judice rule restricts comments and disclosures pertaining to judicial proceedings. The Supreme Court, in a host of en banc cases, said this is intended to "avoid prejudging the issue, influencing the court, or obstructing the administration of justice."

A violation of the sub judice rule may render one liable for indirect contempt under Section 3(d), Rule 71 of the Rules of Court.

The draft resolutions, which if approved will become the official position of the Mandaue City Council, discussed the merits of the case.

In the first draft resolution, Biaño cited how the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas recommended the filing of the case that, eventually, was withdrawn.

He then cited how the prosecutor later admitted in court that there was a need to "obtain additional evidence."

Biaño, in his draft resolution, said the subsequent re-filing of the case was done "without a full and complete preliminary investigation" and that it was not strengthened at all by the reinvestigation.

He pointed out the need for the council to air its "serious misgivings and genuine concern."

In the other draft resolution, he raised how the anti-graft office allegedly "ignored the total absence of probable cause to include Mayor Ouano in the charge."

Tanodbayan Merceditas Gutierrez re-filed the anti-graft cases earlier filed against Ouano and 20 other persons for the lamppost controversy last May.

Same numbers

The move, in turn, came after the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas found sufficient basis to indict them after a reinvestigation that ended last April 30.

Former Mandaue City mayor Thadeo Ouano, Mandaue City Engineer Hidelisa Latonio and Assistant Engineer Gregorio Omo were impleaded for their alleged participation in the bidding and the purchase of 89 decorative lamps, for about P50,000 each, along W.O. Seno, C.D. Seno, Plaridel and J. Briones Sts. in Mandaue City.

Based on the anti-graft office's investigation, the bidding, although carried out by the Department of Public Works and Highways, used the Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) prepared by the Mandaue City Engineering Office.

The bid submitted by the winning supplier, in turn, reflected an amount that was exactly the same as the figures reflected in the POWE, making them win the bidding.

The anti-graft office, in their investigation report, said this shows collusion between bidder, the DPWH and the local government unit, a collusion that defrauded the government of millions and gave unwarranted benefits to a select few.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on July 11, 2009.



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Now tell whose interest biano has in mind? kaluoy sa mandauehanon. Let us continue our fight to cleanse mandaue from shameful people like biano and his troop!

[blueangel_88]

huh? is biano sure what he was doing? klaro na kaayo sa pattern oi.. haaay, ngano pa man tawn ni cla midaog pag election oi? pakauwaw ra man ni cla sa mga taga Mandaue..

[markokintolimbo]

mao jud tawun nagdala lng kini " ALINGASNGAS " wala nabuhat kundili nagdala tigaw ug cge pang spy sa mayor sa mg BINUHATAN.. PAKApaet.....

[raYnooB]

loslos aning mga konsehal ni Ouano...daghan kayog mga nindot nga project c Mayor Jonas Cortes pila dili ma approve tungod aning nga "Iro" nga mga konsehal og kani pod "baboy" nga bise mayor

[sigbing]

oi BIANO mutilap man pud kas lubot ni TEDDY oi pila may imu anang iro-a ka?

[markokintolimbo]

wala tay mahimu bro pwede man na maka file kaso c mayor tungod ani nila binuhatan... sa mga itoy iro..

[reclamador]

Jonas ,,, Like a breath of fresh air ... for Mandaue !!!

[rockrhyan1982]

COA tells Cortes: Pay back P190,000 trip fund


THE Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes’s trip to the Netherlands last October 2008 because he reportedly lacked authorization, a councilor said in a resolution.

COA may ask the mayor to pay back the P191,000 spent during the trip.

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Cortes said the trip benefited the city, which acquired 60 computers as a result and expects a fire truck to arrive soon. His trip also resulted in the arrival of foreign volunteers.

The disallowance was one of COA’s recent findings and mentioned in a resolution drafted by Councilor Emil Rosal.

In that resolution, Rosal also urged all City Hall department heads to reply to COA’s findings and heed its recommendations.

Rosal’s resolution quotes COA as saying the mayor’s trip to the Netherlands “has no authority from the secretary of DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government), resulting to the possible disallowance of his travel expenses in the amount of P191,307.60.”

But Cortes told reporters he did not see any disadvantage in his trip. He said he already submitted his justification to COA.

Of the 60 computers donated by the Haarlemermeer government, 40 sets were assigned to the Mandaue City College, while the remaining 20 went to the public library.

The city will soon acquire a fire truck, coursed through the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf), as a result of that trip, Cortes added.

“Hopefully, we can build an Eruf station with this fire truck,” mayor said.

The mayor said he is willing to pay with his personal funds in case COA issues a disallowance order.

Check and balance

Meanwhile, a local government lawyer said yesterday that a debate continues on whether local chief executives, like mayors and governors, are required to get authorization from the local council or provincial board when entering into contracts.

Section 22(c) of the Local Government Code states: “Unless otherwise provided in this Code, no contract may be entered into by the local chief executive on behalf of the local government unit without prior authorization by the sanggunian concerned.

A legible copy of such contract shall be posted at a conspicuous place in the provincial capitol or the city, municipal or barangay hall.”

The Commission on Audit (COA) 7 recently used this provision against Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, over 22 contracts worth P49.9 million, which did not get authorization from the city council. This was among COA’s findings in its audit of Talisay’s transactions in 2008.

But Atty. Danilo Almendras, legal officer of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7, said that provision must be seen in the light of other laws like the Government Procurement Reform Act or Republic Act 9184.

In an opinion issued in February 2006, the DILG said that a local chief executive may sign contracts even without authorization from the local legislature “for as long as there is a law or ordinance that authorizes him or her to do so.”

Almendras said there have been times that some local chief executives would rely on the Government Procurement Reform Act, in defending contracts that didn’t go to the council or Provincial Board for prior authorization.

The 2006 legal opinion by the DILG also stated that as long as the project contracts were included in the annual or supplemental budget approved by local legislators, there was no need to secure further authorization.

“It could not have been the intent of our Congress to paralyze local government projects or contracts through circuitous or redundant procedures,” the DILG opinion said. (JKV)