The spokesperson of former Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella said he did not seek reconsideration of the Department of Justice decision dismissing the appeal filed by Rolling Hills Memorial Park Inc. against the City Government of Bacolod.

Ramon Viva said yesterday that the appeal was in relation to City Ordinance No. 565, series of 2011, or “An Ordinance Approving the Revised Local Revenue Code of Bacolod City.”

Viva said they received the decision of the DOJ on February 13 so Puentevella wrote Justice Secretary Leila De Lima asking why their appeal was dismissed but the DOJ interpreted it as a motion for reconsideration.

He said they pointed out to the DOJ that the copy of the City Ordinance 565 they had submitted was a certified true copy and was certified by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod.

He added that Puentevella also questioned the DOJ about the P25 U.P. Legal Research fee since they did not know about it.

“For whatever reason it was dismissed by the DOJ, we do not know,” the spokesperson said.

De Lima has junked the February 17, 2012 request for reconsiderationof Puentevella of the January 27, 2012 DOJ decision dismissing the appeal filed by RHMPI against the City Government of Bacolod.

De Lima anchored her denial of Puentevella’s appeal on his failure to still submit the required documents and pay the U.P Legal Research fee amounting to P25, and also because of the case already filed by RHMPI against the City Government at the Regional Trial Court.

In her letter, De Lima told Puentevella that “…after meticulously studying the arguments raised in your letter, the appeal must still fail. The reason being that the appeal was never perfected, even belatedly, for your failure to comply with Sections 3 and 4 of this Department’s Circular No. 21 dated 15 July 1992 as what we have stated in your Decision. Specifically, it is your failure to attach a true copy of the tax ordinance in question and to subsequently pay the P25 U.P. Legal Research Fee.”

“In deference, and out of courtesy to the Regional Trial Court of Bacolod which has acquired jurisdiction over the issues which were similarly raised in your appeal, we are constrained to decline further action on the matter,” De Lima added.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, meanwhile, asked why Puentevella did not file a case together with the businessmen. If his cause is for the businessmen, he should have joined them in filing the case, he said.

This is clearly a political tool since he is only after propaganda, Leonardia added.*CGS

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