By Paulo Loreto Lim

Former Provincial Board Member Victor Puey recently penned a letter to the Court of Appeals-Cebu Station, requesting the division inhibit itself and conduct a re-raffle, claiming the dismissal case surrounding Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has already been prejudged in the mayor’s favor.
According to the letter, Puey claims the Condonation Legal Doctrine, wherein reelection to office is considered an acceptance of the official’s actions, was already being discussed before hearing rebuttal to arguments made by Leonardia in his appeal.
He wrote, “It is very clear and apparent that this honorable Court of Appeals has already pre-judged the case in favor of petitioner Evelio Leonardia.”
Puey also points out the mayor’s camp still has a pending motion for reconsideration before the Office of the Ombudsman. He explains, by submitting both a motion and the temporary restraining order (TRO), “This should have been a clear case of forum shopping.”
He, then, points out a March 2, 2017 issue of a local newspaper with a headline reading “Mayor’s camp expects preliminary injunction.” Puey notes, with the said newspaper under ownership of the mayor’s family, “This only goes to show that they already expect and are sure of a favorable ruling.”
Back in January, after the TRO was issued, Bacolod City Councilor Caesar Distrito, a member of the mayor’s Grupo Progreso coalition, stated, “We already said we were confident the Court of Appeals would listen to our legal arguments and issue a TRO.”
Earlier this year, the Office of the Ombudsman found the mayor and 11 others guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty, stemming from P50 million worth of furniture purchased by the Leonardia administration.
Leonardia was later awarded a TRO, where he said, ‘The Court of Appeals saw our side.”
He asserted, by virtue of receiving over 120,000 votes, his career “cannot and should not end with doubts over its integrity.”/WDJ