True to his unpredictable image, City Mayor Dan Neri Lim made another unthinkable. This time, he announced over his radio program yesterday that he was taking a leave of absence for 27 days allowing his bitter foe Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso to run the city. Mayor Lim said Veloso can run the city “ the way he will do it if he becomes mayor”. Making so much fanfare of his leave, Mayor Lim said, if at all, his critics, will discover some skeletons in his closet, then, so be it”. Confident that has nothing, the combative city mayor virtually jumped the gun on his critics in the wake of “persistent reports” that he was going to be suspended. In his running word war with media powerhouse DYRD-Bohol Chronicle combined, the two traded bards, with Mayor Lim at the receiving end of corruption allegations at city hall. With Mayor Lim out of office for 27 days, he said, his critics can do their worst by digging records of impropriety, if there is any.
In a way, since people are demanding for his suspension, he made a pre-emptive strike before the suspension boom was lowered on him. Mayor Lim called it “self-suspension”.“They want me to be suspended? I will suspend myself!” boomed the mayor.
Lim lamented that there has been a relentless barrage against him as though he is “public enemy no. 1”.
“I was not born yesterday and I know this has something to do with my politics to implement the law and to see to it that public interest is not subordinated to personal interest,” the mayor said.
Lim formally requested for permission to go on leave from Gov. Erico Aumentado in a letter dated May 21. The governor promptly granted his request.
The mayor spelled out the reason for his decision to go on leave in his letter to the governor. “As part of this orchestrated campaign, there is talk that I will be preventively suspended. For what specific allegation, I do not know and no longer care. In this world, anybody can come up with the most ridiculous accusation and still expect people, and even government agencies to seriously consider it,” Lim told the governor.
Lim said he has “nothing to hide” and committed no wrongdoing to deserve this fate. “Nevertheless, this protestation may not hold ground in the light of the fact that I am a public servant who must give an accounting of his actions no matter how sincere and clean they may be,” he added. Lim said he is “voluntarily” subjecting himself to public accountability. “I am doing this to show to the people my commitment to transparency,” he added.
The mayor said he is doing this “at a great sacrifice not only because I might open myself to trumped up charges based on manufactured evidence in my absence but of the pain of being deprived of the privilege to serve my constituents for nearly a month.”
Lim said he is doing this to allow Veloso the privilege of running the affairs of the city hands on. “(Veloso) has indicated his interest to serve in this capacity so I am offering him the privilege to serve in this capacity on a silver platter. It goes without saying that if he conducts himself well, he will earn the people's trust and confidence,” Lim added. On Friday, Lim also formally informed the vice-mayor of this development “By operation of law, you are therefore designated as Acting Mayor during the pendency of my leave. As such, you enjoy all the privileges and responsibilities subject to governing laws. Most of all, you are free to look into all the records and documents to your heart's content within the bounds of law and ethical conduct,” he added. Lim said that this is Veloso's opportunity to prove his worth and give the citizenry an opportunity of how the city would be like under him. “It is a calculated risk but transparency is a requirement of credibility,” the mayor admitted. Lim's decision to go on leave was made public just days after a Holy Name University survey indicated a 52 percent-approval rating for the mayor. Veloso on the other hand got only 41 percent approval in the same survey. |
