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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Tuesday, January 17, 2017
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BACOLOD City – People Power à la Leonardia? Supporters and political allies gathered at city hall yesterday to rally behind Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia whom the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed from government service for grave misconduct.
Clad in red shirts, the “Grupo Pulahan” brought placards screaming with messages, “Mayor Bing, Fight!” and “We Support Mayor Bing!”
When Leonardia arrived at the lobby, the supporters chanted, “Mayor Bing! Mayor Bing!”
“My beloved people of Bacolod, we — including the others ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman — do not deserve this,” Leonardia told the crowd, which the Public Information Office estimated to have reached around 3,500, including city hall employees.
The mayor confirmed he sought from the Court of Appeals a temporary restraining order against his dismissal.
Leonardia and nine others also ordered dismissed were found guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty over the P50-million purchase of furniture and fixtures for the city government in 2008.
The Ombudsman said Leonardia “demonstrated partiality” in approving Comfac Corp. as winning bidder despite the company’s ineligibility to bid.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, councilors belonging to the Leonardia-led Grupo Progreso — Caesar Distrito, Renecito Novero, Dindo Ramos, Cindy Rojas, Bartolome Orola, and Elmer Sy — and several barangay captains, kagawads and purok leaders were present.
Councilors Em Ang and Ricardo Tan were not around.
Every now and then, Leonardia was interrupted by cheers from his supporters.
As he described his ordeal, the mayor made references to the rainy weather.
“Sa gwa kabaskog sang ulan,” he said. “There was a time we were together nga nagatagîtî ang init. Naga-ulan, naga-init. [But] never mind the weather, as long as we’re together.”
“We have gone so far,” said Leonardia. “Let us all face this.”
Reiterating his statement released on Sunday, he said it was clear in the Ombudsman’s order that “no money was stolen from the government, all the goods were fully delivered, there was no overprice, there was no conspiracy, and there was no bad faith.”
Asked by reporters if there was an “unseen hand” that led to the decision of the Ombudsman, Leonardia gave out a photocopy of a screenshot of a Facebook post by an account named “Bribri Puentevella” stating: “sino abi mastermind??? hehe; isa man lang kontra…barato sang ombudsman subong…barato man sandigan…sinsilyo.”
That photocopy answers the question, Leonardia said.
Familiaran and the Grupo Progreso councilors told the press they support Leonardia and will consider him the mayor until he finishes his term.
Leonardia said Ang was in Davao for an official travel. He was clueless where Tan was.
He also said Familiaran informed him that Rep. Greg Gasataya, another ally, was at city hall early Monday morning but left to catch a 10:15 a.m. flight to Manila to attend a newly resumed session in Congress.
“For sure, in heart and in spirit, Gasataya is with us,” said the mayor./PN
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