Fallout in Minglanilla:Town execs suspended

CEBU, Philippines — Minglanilla’s top officials—including Mayor Rajiv Enad and Vice Mayor Lani Peña – are set for a one-year suspension without pay after failing to issue a key permit tied to public safety. The suspension was ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Other suspended officials were the Councilors Jay-R Dela Calzada, Jongjong Adlawan Jr., Jesus 'Boyet' Velez, Jerry Cañares, Jimmy Caumeran, Jenny Young, Jenifer Lariosa, Prose Laput, Petronilo Traya, and Rick Ryan Zafra."

This repercussion stems from municipal actions concerning Sitio Napo, Barangay Guindarohan, where ground cracks were observed and assessed as posing potential landslide risks.

In a message to residents, Enad described the suspension as a difficult but necessary part of public service. He stressed that protecting the people sometimes requires taking personal risks. “If this is the price of doing what’s right for my people, I will stand firm,” Enad said.

He added that he respects the Ombudsman’s processes and will pursue all legal remedies available.

During his absence, Enad’s wife and first councilor Lheslen will serve as acting mayor, while Councilor Mulot Laput will assume the vice mayor’s duties.

Seats in the Municipal Council will remain vacant unless legally filled.

All about the case

The administrative complaint was filed by private entities linked to Jomara Group of Companies, which includes Jomara Konstruct Corporation, Jomara Agrifoods and Supply Corporation, and Mega Pacific Landfill Resources Corporation.

In an article from The Freeman, published sometime in October 2024, Josue Lapitan, owner of the group, alleged that Enad delayed and ultimately denied business and other permit applications, violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Lapitan also claimed Enad influenced then-governor Gwendolyn Garcia to reject a quarry application filed by his family’s businesses.

Enad, however, said the municipal decisions cited in the complaint were primarily guided by public safety considerations, particularly regarding the ground cracks observed in Sitio Napo. He also pointed to issues with compliance and obligations on the part of the companies involved.

The preventive suspension imposes a one-year ban on Enad, Peña, and the councilors. The said order was personally received by the officials at the Municipal Session Hall. Despite their suspension, Enad stressed that municipal services will continue uninterrupted.

No link to lgu refusal of Cebu City waste

Enad clarified that the suspension is separate from the town’s recent refusal to allow Cebu City’s garbage to be dumped in Minglanilla.

During an emergency meeting at the Capitol on January 22, discussions on Cebu City’s waste management identified Minglanilla as a potential temporary site, which the mayor publicly declined.

He underscored that his refusal to host waste from outside the town was guided by the municipality’s responsibility to protect the environment, water sources, and residents’ welfare.

“Public service is not about convenience or self-preservation,” Enad said. “It is about making difficult decisions guided by what is right, even when the consequences are personal,” he added.

Residents’ petitions concerning environmental impacts, particularly regarding water contamination from nearby landfill operations, were also cited by the municipality as justification for regulatory action.

Enad assured that all municipal decisions will continue to prioritize the safety and welfare of the people of Minglanilla.

The service of the suspension order came days after Mayor Enad attended an emergency meeting on January 22 at the Capitol, convened by Governor Pam Baricuatro, where officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), including Secretary Raphael Lotilla, as well as representatives from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), DENR-7, and Cebu City officials discussed Cebu City’s solid waste situation. During the meeting, Minglanilla was identified as one of several areas being considered as a possible temporary option for waste disposal, a proposal which the Mayor publicly declined.

Municipal officials also noted that, during the presentation, reference was made to the existence of a pending administrative case involving the mayor, although it was unrelated to the subject matter of the meeting.

Mayor Enad reiterated that his refusal to host waste from outside the municipality was not intended to offend any party but was grounded on the Municipality’s duty to protect its environment, water sources, and the welfare of its residents.

Although not widely known to the public, certain contractual obligations under the Memorandum of Agreement governing landfill operations particularly those relating to conditions precedent are yet to be complied with.

He underscored that he will respect the legal process and exhaust all remedies available under the law to address the suspension, while ensuring that municipal services remain uninterrupted for the people of Minglanilla.

"I respect the Office of the Ombudsman and the processes of our institutions," Enad stressed. — (FREEMAN)