Cagayan de Oro City—Mayor Oscar Moreno’s number-one accuser has called it quits after two of the cases he filed against the mayor and some city officials were turned down by the Court of Appeals and the Commission on Election.
Former Barangay Taglimao chairperson and businessman William Guiliani filed numerous cases against Moreno and his top department executives, city treasure Glenn Banez, accountant Beda Joy Elot and budget officer Percy Salazar.
“I am tired and have lost all the backing of the people who supported me,” Guiliani said after saying last week that he would go all the way up to the Supreme Court. He also said he had no more new evidence that he could present to the court.
“I was left behind by the people who I expected to help me.”
Guiliani filed a petition against Moreno after the 2016 election on the basis that the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision to dismiss Moreno and bar him from public office for grave misconduct.
Guiliani argued that Moreno was not qualified to seek reelection in the May 2016 election because the Ombudsman in August 2015 had ordered him dismissed and perpetually disqualified from government service.
The case was dismissed by the Court Of Appeals earlier this month.
In a September 29, 2016 resolution, the Comelec’s first division did not find any merit to Guiliani’s election petition against Moreno.
“After careful consideration of the facts of the case, as well as the law and jurisprudence applicable, hereto, we deny the instant petition,” the Comelec ruled. The decision was signed by Commissioners Christian Robert Lim, Louie Guia and Maria Rowena Guanzon.
The Court of Appeals also rebuked the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing Moreno and Banez from public office.
The appellate court said in a ruling dated 13 October 2016 that since that tax settlement agreement emanating from the case filed by Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation before the Regional Trial Court of Cagayan de Oro to review the P2.9 million tax assessment from 2006 to 2012 “had been declared by the court to be not contrary to law, public policy and public morals” there could have been no case for the Ombudsman to start with.
Moreno, in a text message, sent to reporters, said, “It was very obvious that the disqualification case filed with the COMELEC had no legal or cogent reason in the first place. Nonetheless, they still proceeded with it, and endeavored to becloud the people’s will.”