Acting Cebu mayors endure 'tough' 1st week on job

As they buckled down to work after weeks of dispute, the acting mayors of two Cebu cities where controversial Asean summit lampposts were erected found their first days on the job to be "tough" ones. Sun-Star Cebu reported Wednesday that acting mayors Amadeo Seno Jr (Mandaue) and Norma Patalinjug (Lapu-Lapu) had to prioritize normalizing City Hall operations. The two, who respectively replaced Thadeo Ouano and Arturo Radaza, also got a preview of the posts they are seeking in the May 14 elections. On their first week on the job, both acting mayors had to enforce the preventive suspension on some engineering department officials, while assuring other City Hall employees they had nothing to worry about. Seno, sworn in only Wednesday morning, said he was surprised to find out that the city government has yet to release assistance to the hundreds of families left homeless during a fire that hit Mantuyong and Guizo villages last March 7. He admitted that his new responsibilities will leave him little time to campaign. City Social Welfare Officer Candida Comaingking reportedly told Seno that the delays stemmed from the tedious validation of names and canvassing for construction materials. Seno said he told Comaingking that the City Council even "bent the rules" to accommodate an allocation of some P14.7 million from Mandaue's calamity funds. Meanwhile in Lapu-Lapu City, Patalinjug served the suspension order Wednesday morning on City Engineer Julito Cuizon, Assistant City Engineer Fernando Tagaan Jr and Engineer IV Rogelio Veloso. Patalinjug also met with all department heads from 10:30 a.m. until noon, even though City Hall was on half-day operations due to the Lenten break. During the meeting, she assured the officials that there will be "no changes at this time." Seno was sworn in Wednesday to head Mandaue City, after Ouano was served a six-month preventive suspension order. Patalinjug was sworn in Tuesday, after Radaza "voluntarily" turned over City Hall to her. Ouano and Radaza were suspended along 17 other local public officials, after the Office of the Ombudsman found that "the lighting facilities, as acquired and/ or paid for by the government, were highly overpriced." Nine officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways Central Visayas, including Regional Director Robert Lala, were also suspended without pay for six months. The two mayors have challenged their suspensions before the local Court of Appeals. Investigation showed some 2,300 lamps and streetlights, costing about P365.8 million, were installed in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu. Seno, who is running for mayor against Ouano's son, Jovito "Jonkie" Ouano, also met with City Hall department heads Wednesday, after he swore in Councilor Jonas Cortes as acting vice mayor. Cortes is also Seno's rival in the mayoral race. Seno said he will retain the staff at the Office of the Mayor because they are more familiar with procedures in the office. In a separate interview, however, Mandaue City administrator Serafin Blanco said he is taking a “much-needed" break starting next week until June. Seno also implemented the suspension orders on five officials of the City Engineer’s Office: city engineer Hidelisa Latonio, Gregorio Omo, Mario Gerolaga, Alfredo Sanchez and Rosalina Denique. With the suspension of the officials in the City Engineer's Office, Seno appointed engineer Dario Mago as acting head of office. Also on his first day at the job, Seno found out that the list of fire victims and other documents took a long time to process, even if the city council held a special session just two days after the fire last March 7. The resolution allocating the funds was transmitted in advance, or forwarded to the concerned offices even before the journal of the session was approved. During Wednesday's meeting, Seno was also informed that the City has not paid a month's rental for police vehicles, at over P700,000. The city's contract with Rdak Transport Inc. was for the rental of police vehicles from Jan. 1 to March 31 but city officials said that when the vehicles were pulled out, City Hall still has not paid its dues for March. The police claimed they needed the vehicles for police visibility. As for the fire victims who are house owners, they can expect at least P8,000 worth of construction materials from City Hall. More than a thousand house owners have been listed as victims. Schools division superintendent Serena Uy said during the meeting Wednesday that the fire victims who have been occupying the evacuation centers in public schools have to leave soon. Uy said that the schools are being prepared because these are the poll centers in the May 14 elections. She added that electricity bills have increased because the evacuees are using their appliances and even watch television early in the morning. - GMANews.TV