Gwen tells Ace: ‘Be like a man, stop whining’

CEBU, Philippines —  “Face your cases like a man. Stop whining.”

This was Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s unsolicited advice to her challenger, former Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary Ace Durano, after the latter’s claim that his recent graft conviction by the Sandiganbayan was “politically motivated.”

Garcia said the information of the case against Durano was filed sometime in 2017. The Office of the Ombudsman also filed the case against former tourism secretary on March 22, 2019.

“I was not even governor then, on both dates. So how could it be politically motivated? By clairvoyance?" Garcia asked.

"My advice to Mr. Durano: Face your cases like a man. Stop whining. And certainly stop impugning the integrity of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan" Garcia added.

The anti-graft court on November 26, 2021 found Durano and other DOT officials guilty of graft and sentenced them to suffer six to 10 years imprisonment with the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

In his statement to the media, Durano claimed that the case was “politically motivated.”

Durano, who is challenging Garcia in the 2022 gubernatorial race, said he is optimistic “the truth will always prevail.” 

“Kibaw naman ta unsa ni kay ako DOT secretary niadtong 2004 hangtud 2010. Gisugdan nila'g file ning mga kaso paghuman sa 2016 nga election---unom ka tuig human ko wala na sa DOT. Sunod kaso napud gipasaka pag 2019 nga election,” Durano said in an earlier statement.

“Ang duha sa ilang gi-file na dismiss na. Karon 2021, human ko niingon nga mudagan pagkagobernador, nitumaw napud ni nga kaso. Murag klaro naman siguro unsay pasabot ani,” he added.

Lawyer Dwight Remedio said they would exhaust all legal options to prove Durano did not commit anything illegal.

The case stemmed from the P2.7 million wall calendar project of DOT during Durano’s stint as secretary. The project allegedly failed to undergo a public bidding.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the case against Durano on March 22, 2019, for allegedly conniving with officials of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) in giving PDP Digital Inc. unwarranted benefits for “conceptualization and development” of the DOT calendar “without competitive bidding” in violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act No. 3019.

According to the anti-graft body, Durano “unilaterally entered” into a memorandum of agreement for the project instead of a BAC resolution justifying the alternative mode of procurement. — FPL (FREEMAN)