Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia has designated City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan officer-in-charge of the Office of the City Mayor effective Monday in view of his official travel to Iloilo City.

Bayatan yesterday said they received the memorandum Monday. The mayor is in Iloilo to attend a seminar of the Commission on AuditSeptember 17 to 21, but could be back Thursday, he said.

This does not mean that he is assuming the office of the Mayor, Bayatan said, clarifying rumors circulating that the mayor has been suspended so he was designated OIC.

Bayatan said it is a matter of delegating responsibility while that the Mayor is outside Bacolod City on other official engagements.

He said this is only one aspect of the Mayor’s functions while he is not around.

Bayatan said he was designated since the Vice Mayor is also busy with legislative functions and he also has administrative duties to attend to in his office as head of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, he said.

The Vice Mayor and the SP also have to entertain sessions and other matters related to their functions, Bayatan said.

So it would be best that some of the Mayor’s administrative functions be delegated by him to a department head of his trust and confidence, he said.

He pointed out that the Ombudsman in the Visayas recently dismissed the charges for technical malversation and misconduct against Leonardia, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and 12 other city officials, for lack of probable cause and lack of substantial evidence.

The criminal and administrative cases were filed by Barangay Captain Rufino Alcala of Punta-Taytay and Rodolfo Montaño, former barangay captain of Tangub, which involved the financial assistance given by the city to the MassKara Festival Organization Inc., of which Alcala was one of the recipients.

The recent rulings have added to the string of favorable decisions obtained by Leonardia, Sayson, et al,from the Ombudsman buttressing their claim that the tons of complaints filed with the Ombudsman against them were basically political harassments.*CGS

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