MindanaoDAILY THE PURVEYOR OF TRUTH , JUSTICE, AND DEVELOPMENT
Zubiri on suspension: Ombudsman’s mixed-up Volume VI, No. 095
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n Drug rehab center to open at Army camp in Agsur/p.A2 OPINION n Trillanes apology: damage control, not contrition/p.A4 FORUM n Bishops fear more summary killings/p. A5
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G
OVERNOR Jose Ma. “Joe” Zubiri Jr. of the province of Bukidnon on Tuesday said the recent decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend him for six months was “clearly by mistake.”
“The Ombudsman ordered the suspension of the wrong governor. The Ombudsman says that in January 2013, I supposedly refused to act on the former provincial assessor’s clearance and request for leave
commutation. But it was impossible for me to have committed those omissions because I was not the governor in January 2013. In fact, I was not the governor from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013,” Zubiri said in a press
Wednesday
See DUTERTE, page A7
P15.00
A1
statement. “I simply did not have the authority to sign clearances and leave commutations at that time. I never even saw the provincial assessor’s papers,” Zubiri said. Alex Calingasan, the sitting governor in January 2013, was the only person who could have properly endorsed former provincial assessor Carlos Ycaro’s papers, according to Zubiri. See MISTAKE, page A7
Duterte: Expect more bombings DAVAO City––President Rodrigo R. Duterte warned of more bombings after the September 2 explosion at the night market on Roxas Avenue here where 15 died and 69 were injured. “There will be another explosion, not here but in other parts of the Philippines,” he said Monday at the Matina Enclaves during the distribution of cash assistance to the bombing victims. He said more attacks might happen to avenge “ h istor i c a l i njust i c e s” against the Moro people,
September 21, 2016
Screen grab photo of Bukidnon Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri (right) and former Governor Alex P. Calingasan (left) after they have filed their respective Certificate of Candidacies (COCs) before the Commission on Elections for the May 13, 2013 elections. According to online sources, Zubiri and Calingasan respectively won as governor and vice governor as they swapped positions for the 2013 elections. Photo credit: Bukidnonnews.net
Editor’s Note: Below is the full statement of Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr. of the province of Bukidnon in regard to the recent order of the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend him for six months. I WAS informed about a statement issued by the Office of the Ombudsman that I am being suspended for six (6) months for grave abuse of authority amounting to oppression and violation of Section 5(a) of the Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. To be honest, I am really surprised about such findings. Let me tell you why. First, it was mentioned in the said statement that they conducted an “investigation” and that last January 2013, I refused to sign the clearance and refused to act on the request for commutation of Carlos Ycaro. This finding is clearly baseless if not anomalous. If the Office of Ombudsman has indeed conducted an investigation, they should have found out that I was not the governor of the Province of Bukidnon from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013. Let me reiterate, I was not the governor of the Province of Bukidnon from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013. How can I sign his clearance and act on his request for commutation in January 2013 then? The proper person to sign his clearance and act on his request would have been the incumbent governor of the province,
Statement
Eagle’s favorite food. A Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans) is spotted in Barangay Plaridel, Province of Dinagat Islands on September 19, 2016. Known in many places of Mindanao as “Kagwang,” it is on top of the diet of the Philippine Eagle. MindaNews photo by Roel N. Catoto
‘Why I want Martial Law declared in PH’ I no longer want to enjoy freedom. I do not want my right to free speech. In martial law it will be considI want martial law declared in ered unlawful the Philippines because I want to speak out this nation to be great again. agai nst t he I want martial law declared because government’s human rights abuses. By MARK AMBAY III Bulatlat.com
Commentary
So no biased media, no social media. The Internet will most likely be strictly censored. Probably the only source of information would be government media outfits that will spew forth propaganda. See declared, page A6
See STATEMENT, page A7
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