Block-time radioman faces contempt raps at Ombudsman
BACOLOD CITY – City Legal Officer Atty. Joselito Bayatan filed yesterday before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas a motion to hold in contempt block-time broadcaster Donard Nojas for pre-empting the sound judgment of the Ombudsman with regard to the case filed by Victor Eduardo and Sancho Nagar Sr. against Mayor Evelio Leonardia, former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero and some members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod relative to the construction of the New Government Center.
In his block time radio program “Transparency Bacolod” last August, Nojas, as quoted by Atty. Bayatan, declared that the former Vice Mayor (Atty. Novero) was innocent of the anomaly about the New Government Center.
Nojas pre-empted that Atty. Novero cannot be implicated in this case because no less than the Ombudsman removed the name of Novero as respondent because his participation on the NGC issue is merely as presiding officer.
“Donard Nojas was pre-empting the sound judgment of the Honorable Ombudsman in regard to the case of one of the respondents, Atty. Novero, that he is now found innocent of the pending complaint against him with the implication that his co-respondents Mayor Leonardia and other respondents are the ones who are guilty,” Bayatan said.
He stressed that Mr. Nojas was painting political color in his broadcast by using the proceedings of the Honorable Ombudsman as his vehicle to promote the political standing of respondent and then Vice Mayor Renecito Novero.
Earlier, it is of common knowledge here in the City of Bacolod that just before the month of August 2009, Novero and incumbent Congressman Monico Puentevella formed their publicized political tandem “MONO” or Monico and Novero. Bayatan believed that Nojas has no business in pronouncing before his radio program the merits of the proceedings.
“The matter of guilt or innocence of any respondent is yet pending before the judicious hands of the Honorable Ombudsman that Nojas has no business to interfere much less to pre-empt the authority of the Honorable Ombudsman to degrade the sanctified proceedings,” Bayatan clarified.
