Mayor Chan, abogado gireklamo

CEBU, Philippines — Gipasakaan og kaso diha sa Office of the Ombudsman si Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan ug ang iyang gitudlong City Legal Officer nga si Atty. James Allan Sayson tungod sa isyu kun taga diin gyud ang maong abogado.

Usa ka Leo Mercado nga giingong residente sa Lapu-Lapu City ang niduso og reklamo nga Usurpation of Authority ug Usurpation of Official Functions ubos sa Article 177 sa Revised Penal Code; paglapas sa Republic Act 7160; paglapas sa RA 3019; paglapas sa Civil Service Law and Omnibus Rules on Appointment; ug Grave Misconduct and Conduct Unbecoming of Public Officer ubos sa RA 6713. Sa pasangil ni Mercado dili kwalipikado nga itudlo ni Chan si Sayson isip CLO sa siyudad tungod kay wala kini magpuyo sa maong siyudad nga maoy gimando sa Local Government Code.

Iyang gikutlo ang Section 481 sa Local Government Code nga nag-ingong: “No person shall be appointed legal officer unless he is a citizen of the Philippines, a resident of the local government concerned, of good moral character, and a member of the Philippine Bar. He must have practiced his profession for at least five (5) years in the case of the provincial and city legal officer, and three (3) years in the case of the municipal legal officer.”

Sa pasangil ni Mercado, si Sayson wala pay lima ka tuig nahimong abogado kay tulo pa kini ka tuig gikan nakapasar sa Bar ug dili sab kini residente sa maong dakbayan kay taga Cebu City kini.

“Despite everything, Sayson is still acting and functioning as City Legal Officer of Lapu Lapu City without being lawfully entitled to do so. The aforementioned acts of Sayson were made with the express imprimatur of Ahong Chan who appointed him, an act which clearly amounts to usurpation of authority and official functions,” dugang pa ni Mercado. (Gikan sa The Freeman/IBM)