SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: Antique Vice Governor Edgar Denosta is hopeful that the Court of Appeals (CA) will soon issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and reinstate the five board members so they can hold sessions and decide on important legislative agenda. In an interview on Monday, Denosta said they are awaiting the CA’s ruling on the TRO petition filed by the five suspended board members against the Office of the Ombudsman’s order so the board could reach a quorum during sessions, especially when they need to decide on important issues and ordinances.
According to Philippines News Agency, Denosta expressed a desire for the five regular board members, who were met with preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman, to be reinstated soon. This statement came after provincial board secretary J Gabin conducted a roll call and discovered the absence of a quorum once again. Denosta noted that two ex-officio members, Julius Pierre Pacificador and Mart Giric Galido, appointed by Department of the Interi
or and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos, were also absent due to official business engagements.
The absence of these members has left only six regular board members available, hindering the board’s ability to address critical matters. “We are supposed to tackle the veto message of Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao relative to the approved Appropriation Ordinance Number 2024-02 for Fiscal Year 2024 General Fund amounting to PHP821,584,394.13 and my resolution for the creation of the inter-agency to assist fishing vessel operators, but we are not able to hold it for lack of quorum,” Denosta stated.
The provincial board must now wait another week before they can address these pressing issues due to the ongoing quorum challenge. Meanwhile, suspended regular board member Alfie Jay Niquia, a lawyer, mentioned that they filed their TRO petition with the CA last month and are still awaiting a resolution. The other four suspended regular board members include Egidio Elio, Victor Condez, Rony Molina, and Ma
yella Mae Plameras-Ladislao. Additionally, three ex-officio members were suspended alongside them.
The Ombudsman ordered their six-month preventive suspension on August 5 following charges of oppression, grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, and gross neglect of duty were filed against them.