DILG-Cebu Serves 6-month Suspension of Cebu Town Mayor,VM

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cebu provincial office has served the six-month suspension order on Mayor Cynthia Moreno and her husband Vice Mayor Augustus Caesar Moreno of Aloguinsan town in southwestern Cebu.

Aloguinsan town councilors Mariolito Biton Jr. and Claudio Gacang formally assumed office Wednesday as acting mayor and vice mayor, respectively, DILG Cebu provincial director Gerome Gonzales said.

The Court of Appeals on November 24, 2014 had affirmed the decision of the anti-graft office suspending the Morenos for six months pending review of their administrative cases.

The CA denied the petition filed by the Morenos for the issuance of temporary restraining order of the suspension order issued by the Office of the Ombudsman against them.

The Morenos received a copy of the CA resolution as early as December 3 last year but only got hold of the copy of the suspension on Wednesday from the office of the DILG.

DILG 7 regional director Ananias Villacorta said the Morenos personally went to his office to obtain the copy of the suspension order.

“Even before the receipt of the copy on March 24 directing me to serve the suspension order, they already came at the regional office since they wanted to end the process already, and also to avoid chaos in their government unit,” he said.

The case stemmed from the complaint filed by a certain Danilo Margallo on the sale of two unserviceable dump trucks to Rufino Alpas Junk Shop for Php150,000 without public auction in violation of the Commission on Audit rules.

The dump trucks were reportedly placed inside the garage owned by the Moreno family in violation of the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual.

Mayor Moreno confirmed the receipt of the suspension order, saying “It’s ok.” (PNA) FPV/EB