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NORDIS
WEEKLY July 9, 2006 |
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Suspension earns support for Yaranon: Afable quits |
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BAGUIO CITY (July 7) — A top Palace adviser for the highland Cordillera region has given up his post because of the one year suspension meted to Baguio City Mayor Braulio Yaranon. Silvestre C. Afable, Cabinet Officer for Regional Development for the Cordillera (CORD-CAR) tendered his resignation on June 26, 2006 apparently because he disagreed with the suspension of Yaranon over the Jadewell private pay parking case in the city. Malacañang, through Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, on June 26 suspended Yaranon for one year finding him guilty of grave misconduct, abuse of authority and oppression. Both violations were meted each six months suspension for Yaranon. In his press statement dated July 7 Friday, Afable said the “reasons for my resignation is my disagreement with the Office of the President over the suspension of Yaranon in the Jadewell case”. He further said that he “had supported mayor Yaranon in his crusade against dirty politics and governance,” two very essential issues that the city mayor had been fighting against that earned him the ire of traditional politicians before him. He continued, “I shall support him (Yaranon) in his quest for justice.” Afable, also the government’s chief negotiator in the GRP-MILF peace talks, further praised Yaranon for his statesmanship in accepting the action of the Palace and in seeking for lawful relief. Meanwhile Yaranon, who appeared confident, told journalists on Friday that other noted lawyers and judges in Baguio, are collaborating with him, a retired Regional Trial Court Judge, in his motion for reconsideration of the Palace’s suspension decision. The mayor said he would file his motion on Monday, only 6 days after he received the suspension decision. He claimed Rule 10 in Administrative Order number 23 of the Local Government Code allowing him 30 days to answer the decision. “I know we will win,” he said. Yaranon confidently told journalists and supporters “The law is on our side. There is no way we can lose versus Jadewell.” Supporters including some 20 pastors from different churches in Baguio and La Trinidad, Benguet showed up on Friday noon to support the beleaguered mayor. Supporters among the faithfuls prayed with Yaranon invoking God’s hand against “the hearts of our government officials and private entities that corrupt them.” Bishop Oscar Magallanes representing some 200 independent churches in Baguio and La Trinidad said, it is their duty to pray for the leaders of the country and that issues including the Jadewell problem will be resolved. He added, they are invoking the Almighty One’s intercession so that “righteousness will prevail.” Explicitly Magallanes said, “we want all onerous contracts in the city junked.” After the Filipino pastors, some 15 pastors from the South Korean city of Tabaek, a sister city of Baguio, also showed up at the city mayor’s office on Friday noon to show support to Yaranon. The pastors will be conducting a “prayer alert” on July 17 for Yaranon’s fight against “corruption in the giving of contracts for projects in the city”. # Ace Alegre for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article |
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