A CAGAYAN de Oro City lawmaker claimed that Vice Mayor Joaquin Uy told him it was Mayor Oscar Moreno who instructed Uy to bar all the job order reappointments by the minority side of the local legislative body.
“We are also a victim of this situation, because up until now, we don't have a single job order employee since January up to now, supposed to be we should have them because it is included in the annual approved budget for the councilors,” City Councilor Leon Gan said.
For this, Gan said he and the rest of the City Council’s minority members are contemplating to join City Councilor Lordan Suan’s action of suing Uy before the Office of the Ombudsman or the Department of Interior and Local Government because the jurisdiction is concurrent with respect to the administrative cases that the vice mayor might face.
The conflict began on Monday’s regular session when Uy lambasted Suan for allegedly practicing “nepotism” or having the penchant of turning his own job order staff into a family affair.
Uy had openly vented his displeasure towards Suan for proposing to appoint his sister and brother, among others, as his staff, and for accusing Uy of not paying his two existing staff for two months this year.
“They accused me about not paying the salary of the job order employees, but this is not in my power,” Uy rants.
Out of anger, Uy broke the gavel after his speech was delivered.
On Tuesday, Gan said it was not only Suan but the rest of the minority members of the City Council who failed to get the approval of Uy to reappoint their job order employees.
Gan added that he has six job order workers now but he pays them using his own money, and not through the supposed P1 million budget approved and given to each councilor in hiring these job order staffs.
He said the P1 million budget could hire at least 10 job order employees for each councilor, but they are only limited to propose three employees.
Gan also claimed Uy told him it was Mayor Moreno's order to stop the renewal of the minority's job order staffs.
“I did not believe what he said because it is not the mayor's attitude to do this, so my hunch is that someone, not the mayor maybe, just dictated the vice mayor. But if Kikang’s (Uy’s) story is true, then Mayor Moreno is not creating unity among the members of the City Council, he is causing troubles and administrative sanctions,” Gan said.
Suan, meanwhile, maintained his position that he did not commit nepotism since his proposal was not approved.
“If anything, other councilors (there) are also committing nepotism if this is the case. Now I challenge him, the vice mayor, to release his job order employees now, and let us see who is committing nepotism as soon this will all come out,” Suan said.
Uy labeled Suan of nepotism after proposing to employ names within his family circle like Eriberto Gualberto Jr., Annaliza Mae Diaz, Clarissa Mae Suan, Agapito Suan Jr., Henry Rago, Josephine Padios, Agaito Eriberto Suan, and Ramon Gualberto.
"Why would he hire his own father, mother? Aren't they rich enough? And if we hire them, is he sure that his mother and father and sister would really work? Why not give this JO (job order) opportunity to those who really need it," Uy said in an interview on Monday.
