CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano said on Tuesday, August 22, that he welcomes the plan of Cagayan de Oro City Council to investigate the Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Complex (MOISC) for alleged irregularities.
Emano said that if someone is liable for the allegations, it should be Mayor Oscar Moreno who created the MOISC, which is tasked to handle the operations of the Pelaez Sports Center.
"Mas malipay ko imbestigahon ang MOISC karon dayon. But if you can recall, the MOISC was created by the mayor of Cagayan de Oro, so if they want me liable, they should be the one who must rot in jail first, because they created it," Emano said.
Emano defended the MOISC, which he said, is a well-represented institution composed of representatives from the City Government, Department of Education, and the Provincial Government.
"Pangutan-a ang inyong mayor tungod kay siya ang nag-appoint sa ilang representative nga si Boy Sinco, nga ilang gi-disown. So I won't give him the propaganda for their advantage at our expense,” he said.
On the sports center's collection, the sports enthusiast group accused the MOISC manager President Elipe said that the collection is spent on things meant to promote his and the governor's political interests, a claim debunked by the governor.
He said when he sat as governor, the MOISC had zero collections.
"Karon lantaw nila dako na ang koleksyon, ayha sila mo-question. And 90 percent of the users in the sports complex are from Cagayan de Oro, unya mangita paka ug share? Alangan naman ang taga-Misamis Oriental mobyahe pa diri para lang maka-jogging," Emano said.
He also pointed out that the barangay where MOISC is situated has been getting a share from the revenues of the sports center.
"Pamulitika, daghan siguro nabalaka nga modakan ako sa dakbayan. Apan kung mahimo ayaw sa kanang politika, sayo pa kaayo, unta bisan sa katapusang gutlo sa serbisyo ihatag gayud nato sa kabus," he said.
Last week, Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, in a special report read a letter from so-called group of concerned sports enthusiasts urging the City Council, the Office of the Ombudsman, Civil Service of Commission, and Commission on Audit to investigate on the status of the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Complex which the group said is already privatized.
The group also claimed that all the activities and purchases of MOISC did not pass through government accounting, auditing, and procurement, making it vulnerable to corruption.
Aside from questioning the operations of the sports center, the group also questioned Elipe's position as manager of the MOISC, considering the erstwhile councilor's disqualification case.
The group said they are hoping that their revelations would open a serious investigation and correct "the many wrongs in the MOISC and Pelaez Sports Center."
Nacaya said an inquiry will be conducted by the City Council's committee of the whole to investigate the issue.
"We should take cognizance because this is money matter, naay part dapat ang city government, naay portion for DepEd, and so as the province, pero ang nahitabo sa ila na tanan," he said.
"Apil sa inquiry kung asa ang proceeds sa ilang collections," he added.
