Moreno stays as Cagayan de Oro mayor

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The vice mayor of this city, who had been installed as mayor, has assumed his old post.

Vice Mayor Cesar Ian Acenas, whom the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) installed as mayor on Nov. 12, stepped down on Thursday after the Court of Appeals issued a clarification that Mayor Oscar Moreno remains city mayor.

The CA issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on Nov. 13 in view of the motion for reconsideration Moreno filed on the ruling of the Office of the Ombudsman that dismissed him from the service.

All concerned parties should “refrain from doing any act or acts disruptive of the status quo,” the CA ruling stated.

The TRO aims to preserve the status quo until the merits of the case are heard, it added.

At a press conference on Thursday, Acenas said Moreno should not blame him for the standoff at the city hall.

He said he and Councilor Candy Darimbang assumed their posts as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, only after the DILG served the dismissal order against Moreno and administered their oaths of office. He said they do not want to be charged with dereliction of duty.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales found Moreno guilty of grave misconduct for entering into an agreement with a private company without authorization from the Sangguniang Panglungsod. She said Moreno’s action was in violation of the Local Government Code.