Mayor to ‘saboteurs’: Wait for next election
BACOLOD City–Those trying to “shake” the current city administration should wait for the next election, Evelio Leonardia said.
“The problem [ is that] there are people who have nothing else to do and try to sabotage our administration,” the mayor told political allies and supporters during a Grupo Progreso event at city hall lobby.
“We cannot really blame them because they lost in the recent election,” he said. “We hope they will just wait for the next election instead of wasting our time [ with] their charges. We can do more positive things for the city.”
Clad in red shirts, Grupo Progreso supporters gathered on Monday at the Bacolod City Government Center lobby for a mass and a short program.
Leonardia was able to secure from the Court of Appeals a writ of preliminary injunction against the Office of the Ombudsman’s dismissal order against him.
He stressed t hat unlike a temporary restraining order that lasts only for 60 days, an injunction allows him to stay in his post as long as a court has not yet decided on his case, which stemmed from a questionable purchase of city hall properties in 2008.
The Ombudsman found him and nine other city hall employees guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
Leonardia believes the outcome of the case will be in his favor.
The injunction shall “enjoin” the Interior department from serving the dismissal order “until this suit has been adjudicated with finality by the court,” stated the Court of Appeals resolution promulgated on March 22./
PN