Ombudsman orders 1-yr suspension vs. Mandaue City mayor

CEBU CITY: Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes was ordered suspended for one year without pay for grave misconduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. The suspension stemmed from a case filed against Cortes for the illegal appointment of Camilo Basaca as officer-in-charge of the City Social Welfare Services in 2022. Lawyer Jamaal James Calipayan, Mandaue City administrator, confirmed receiving a copy of the Ombudsman order. "We will exhaust all legal remedies for the reversal of the decision, including the filing of a motion of reconsideration," Calipayan said in an interview with the media here. Calipayan said no services of their social welfare office were deprived in the case in question. Cortes is the second city mayor in Cebu ordered suspended by the Ombudsman. In May, the Ombudsman suspended Mayor Michael Rama and seven other city officials over the alleged non-payment of salaries of several city hall employees. Source: Philippines News agency