Mayor Enad: On complaint ‘Twisted, false’

CEBU, Philippines — Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad has denied being partial against the Jomara Group of Companies and the family that owns it.

Enad disputed businessman Josue Lapitan’s claim, in a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas, that the mayor prevented them from doing business by allegedly refusing to renew their business permit.

The mayor described Lapitan’s complaint as “a twisted and intentional narration of wrongful and incorrect facts.”

In fact, Enad said that business permits were issued last January to all companies owned by Lapitan, although the continuance of Solid Waste Disposal was no longer allowed due to Jomara’s failure to comply with conditions.  Their landfill, the mayor said, was also discontinued due to non-performance of their obligations.

“Our records showed that we renewed their permits shortly after they applied. We even issued permits last January to his son and relatives, contrary to his allegation of partiality,” Enad said.

He added that Lapitan allegedly presented twisted facts in his complaint because the municipal government did not revoke or suspend the locational clearance for the company’s goat farm and motor pool development.

Enad added that the denial of Jomara’s Solid Waste Disposal and operation of landfill was through a municipal Resolution.

“I, as mayor, will not recklessly abandon the wisdom of the Council with wanton use of veto power, especially that the grounds of the denial are strong and with proper basis,” he said.

Enad said that more than anything, the Municipal Council and him shared the same priority which is to stand by the general welfare, safety, and security of the Minglanillahanons over and above any business interest.

The mayor also called as an “insult to the governor” Lapitan’s claim that he “persuaded and influenced” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to disapprove their application for quarry permit.

“I have profound respect for the wisdom and intellect of Gov. Gwen and the independence of the Provincial Government. But in the complaint, Lapitan is insinuating that the decision making of the governor and the offices concerned can be easily swayed, which is a gross disrespect coming from Mr. Lapitan and Jomara,” Enad said.

In his complaint, Lapitan accused the mayor of ordering the secretary of the Planning Board to hold all their permits in June 2022.  But Enad pointed out that he was not even mayor during this time yet, which is a manifestation of Lapitan’s lies.

Enad explained that even before he assumed as mayor, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) required Lapitan’s companies to meet some conditions for their businesses which they failed to comply until now.

Residents have complained against Lapitan’s Jomara Group of Companies before the Commission on Human Rights, PENRO, MENRO, and other agencies because of ground cracks that affected them.

The MGB, which ruled that the cracks pose a “clear and present danger to residents,” ordered Jomara to relocate the residents, implement measures to prevent landslides, conduct a comprehensive geological study, among other recommendations.

On the issue of Solid Waste Disposal Permit, Enad says, “it seems that Jomara Group of Companies have forgotten that it was directed by the Environmental Management Bureau 7, through its president Myra Lapitan, for an immediate suspension/stop operation due to the cracks found for its proposed goat farm project.”

“The Municipal Government did not restrict, impede, or stop Jomara from complying with the MGB recommendations. But Jomara Group of Companies stubbornly ignored, willfully refused, deliberately turned a deaf ear, and significantly brushed aside the recommendations of the MGB, a government agency who has the expertise, technical competence, and sound knowledge relating to the ground cracks,” Enad further said.

Residents also filed a protest against the landfill owned by Jomara because it affected the river and their source of household water.

To recall, Lapitan filed a complaint against Enad for allegedly violating Section 3 (0) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act due to the mayor’s alleged unjustified, willful, and unlawful delay in acting on the numerous letter-requests for the renewal of the various permits of his family business, and the mayor’s eventual unjustified and unlawful denial of the same.

In his ten-page complaint, Lapitan also charged Enad with violation of Section 3(a) of R.A. 3019 for persuading, inducing or influencing the governor to deny the quarry application filed by  Lapitan's family business corporations on fabricated and untruthful grounds.

Lapitan asked the anti-graft office to issue an order for the immediate preventive suspension of the mayor. — (FREEMAN)