Fortuna criticizes alleged conflicting roles of Cabrido

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna yesterday criticized environmental lawyer Benjamin Cabrido for acting as personal lawyer of Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes.

“As an environmental lawyer, he is supposed to be a watchdog of the environment, to monitor and ensure compliance of the environmental laws. But how can he be a watchdog when the entity that he is watching is a client?” Fortuna said.

Cabrido has lodged a complaint against Governor Gwendolyn Garcia over the controversial purchase of the Balili property, claiming that the plan of Capitol to use the property as a dumping site of coal ash is disastrous to the environment.

He later filed a complaint against Capitol spokesman Rory Jon Sepulveda, alleging that the latter hinted in a press conference that the Material Recovery Facility is not so much for the environment, but purely for business.

Ironically, a document obtained by The FREEMAN showed that Cabrido is the lawyer of Cortes in the dishonesty and oppression complaint lodged against the mayor by Mandaue Councilors Victor Biaño, Alfonso Albanao Jr., Ma. Noeleen Borbajo, Procopio Villanueva, Editha Cabahug and Emiliano Rosal in relation to budget controversy.

Fortuna who is a lawyer himself said having seemingly opposite interests on the part of Cabrido is “unethical”. He clarified that the issue has nothing to do with Capitol but is “purely a Mandaue issue.”

Fortuna said he recalled that few months ago, he was introduced to Cabrido by Mandaue City consultant on special projects Edmund Sanchez. They were then looking for an alternative site for the city’s solid waster after the Umapad dumpsite was closed last June.

It was even reportedly Cabrido who suggested a Korean-owned Material Recovery Facility in Consolacion.

Fortuna said he was later surprised when Cabrido threatened to sue the opposition-dominated Mandaue City Council after the body turned own the proposed P33 million Supplemental Budget, supposed to be intended for the development of an ecopark at the dumpsite.

“Cabrido was introduced to me as consultant of the mayor for environment. He is acting like a personal lawyer of the mayor and indeed he is. This is a question of conflict of interest,” Fortuna said. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/JMO (THE FREEMAN)