Capitol: We only provided lawyer for Argao mayor

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Capitol has clarified that its involvement in the case against Argao Mayor Edsel Galeos is only up to the Provincial Legal Office’s level, to help the town defend its case against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“The province has nothing to do with that case. Under the Local Government Code, when a municipality has no lawyer, the Provincial Legal Office is bound to represent the municipality.  And in this case, since the municipality has no lawyer then it behooves the Provincial Legal Office to represent it,” Gov. Hilario Davide III explained.

“Let me just correct the impression nga I authorized the filing of this case against DENR. That’s not the case. Kining ani nga cases, di na kina-hanglan moagi ug Provincial Board for clearance,” he added.

The governor’s clarification came after Galeos directed reporters to talk to his lawyer, who happens to be Provincial Attorney Orvi Ortega, with regard to the case filed by DENR against him.

The DENR charged Galeos for violating the environmental law when he allegedly ordered last April the cutting of more than 300 trees in a timberland for the town’s road development project.

DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office has already issued a cease and desist order against the project while the court denied the status quo ante order and the temporary restraining order the town applied for.

For his part, Ortega, who was in the hot seat the past weeks for his alleged involvement with Black Pearl Security Agency and lately, with Sunrays Bus Liner, in which he is one of the company’s lawyers, maintained that he is not Galeos’ personal lawyer.

“It’s not me as the lawyer, it’s the Provincial Legal Office representing Argao, not me in my personal capacity,” he pointed out.  (FREEMAN)