LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Lawyer Noe Villanueva filed Friday a formal motion to suspend the entire council here.
Villanueva, counsel for journalist Jimmy Laking, said the motion is an automatic action under the anti-graft law. “We just gave a bit of courtesy to [the councilors].”
Villanueva said the motion for suspension include the following: Vice Mayor Romeo Salda and councilors Francis Lee, Jim Botiwey, Henry Kipas, Arthur Shontogan, Roderick Awingan, Horacio Ramos Jr., Estrella Adeban, Von Ryan Tauli and Robert Namoro.
All the councilors face suspension for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act where all of them pleaded not guilty earlier before Regional Trail Court Judge Danilo Camacho.
Villanueva said the filing of motion for suspension will give a three-day notice to the councilmen to submit their comments.
In the eventuality all councilors are suspended, sole council member in the town would be 18-year-old Youth Council president Brenden Quintos.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government will have to decide on how to handle the anticipated leadership vacuum the town faces if the suspension ensues.
This will debilitate the entire legislative branch of the town, halting activities of the local government including the 2012 budget, payroll and legislation.
The law provides officials facing graft charges to be temporarily suspended, even if local journalist-columnist Jimmy Laking will not petition the court for the suspension.
Graft raps were lodged by Laking after the town officials declared him “persona non grata” in December 2010 for alleged biased reporting.
Benguet Prosecutor William Bacoling recommended the filing of violation of section 3(a) of Republic Act 3019 or the anti- graft practices law against the officials, saying “all the elements of graft were present which included their being public officials who acted with manifest impartiality, evident bad faith or inexcusable negligence which action caused undue injury to (Laking).”
Salda and the eight other councilors bailed out from liberty in April when a Benguet court ordered them arrested after determining probable cause, a petition to the Justice department to review their case was filed but junked.
First term councilor Awingan said despite the looming suspension, “I will stand by my colleagues and ready to face the consequences.”
Awingan said the entire council will stand by the decision of the court. “We will respect whatever decisions the courts make on our case.”
Villanueva said he will schedule a hearing for the suspension on December 16.
