By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia remains mum on claims made by former Provincial Board Member Victor Puey, who alleged the case filed against the mayor is being “prejudged” by the Court of Appeals.
Puey recently penned a letter to the Court of Appeals-Cebu Station, requesting the division inhibit itself and conduct a re-raffle of Leonardia’s case.
In a media interview, yesterday afternoon, Leonardia said he will leave the handling of his case to his legal counsel.
“It is, for us, a legal matter, and we have a lawyer in Cebu who handles [the case],” Leonardia said.
According to Puey’s letter, he claims the Condonation Legal Doctrine, wherein reelection to office is considered an acceptance of the official’s past actions, was already being discussed prior hearing rebuttal to arguments made by Leonardia in his appeal.
He 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.”
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.”/WDJ