Bais City Mayor Mercy Goni has filed a Motion for Reconsideration on the suspension order of the Ombudsman for her failure to issue a Mayor’s Permit to an applicant of a radio station.
In a press conference Monday, Bais City Legal Officer Lloyd Elmaco said the Motion for Reconsideration was filed on Dec. 2.
Ian Cody Katipunan filed a case against Mayor Goni when she failed to issue a Mayor’s Permit within 10 days from the date he submitted his application to operate a radio station. The case was filed in January this year after his second attempt to file his application.
The seven-page Decision by Graft Investigation & Prosecution Officer Agnes Montuno, dated Aug. 27 and approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Nov. 2, also required the Mayor’s attendance in a Values Orientation Program for violation of RA 9485, or the Anti Red Tape Act.
Elmaco said the Order of the Ombudsman suspending Mayor Goni for one month and 30 days for Simple Negligence, and for violating the Anti Red Tape Act is unfair.
Katipunan’s first attempt to file for a Mayor’s Permit in 2013 was denied due to lack of supporting papers, he said.
Elmaco revealed that while Katipunan operated his radio station on frequency 88.9 mhz based on a Provisional Authority from the National Telecommunications Commission, the consent was not in his name but in the name of Prime Broadcasting Network.
“We conducted further investigation when he applied for a permit because he was not the permittee. Katipunan and Prime Broadcasting have a marketing agreement where it is mentioned that all permits should be in the name of PBN, but Katipunan filed the permit in his name,” Elmaco said.
Further investigation revealed that PBN filed a complaint against Katipunan dated May 30 for violation of this agreement, Elmaco said.
The Ombudsman, Elmaco said, has five days to decide on the Motion for Reconsideration from receipt, and from there, the decision will be forwarded to the Department of Interior & Local Government, which he said they hope will be favorable to the Mayor.
