By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Dismissed Valladolid Vice Mayor Romel Yogore filed a petition before the Court of Appeals in hopes of acquiring a status quo ante order, which works similarly to a temporary restraining order and restores everything to how it was prior to the decision by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales signed an order in January of this year, which found Yogore and seven other municipal employees guilty of grave misconduct and dishonesty.
The other employees included Valladolid Agriculture Officer Giovanni Robles, along with Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) members Joseph Alfonso Manayon, Ernesto Genobis, Daisy Galve, Cherryl Aguirre, Merlene Magbanua, and Ramonito Amazona. The case stemmed from a complaint in which Yogore reportedly awarded a contract without undergoing the proper bidding process in 2009.
Meanwhile, Yogore, along with Aguirre, Manayon, and Galve, have pending motions for reconsideration before the Office of the Ombudsman, which were filed prior to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) formally dismissing them from office.
Yogore said he is waiting on which agency renders a decision first.
Town Councilor Octavio Pagsuberon has since been appointed as vice mayor./WDJ