Cebu’s prominent political clan heads for showdown

July 4, 2011
CEBU CITY — Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano Jr. once claimed he has never lost an election. A challenge from his brother may put that record to the test.
Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III and the Danao City councilors are scheduled to file Monday a petition for a recall election against the mayor.
It’s only during the second year of a local official’s three-year term when he or she may be recalled. That window opened last Friday.
Former tourism secretary and former congressman Joseph “Ace” Durano is among those being considered to run for mayor against his uncle, if the recall petition prospers.
Councilor Jorge John Cane said the petition will be filed at 11 a.m. Monday before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Danao City.
Cane said that because Danao City has more than 58,000 voters, they only need 15,000 signatures of registered voters from 42 barangays.
As of last Friday, he said, they had more than enough.
The two Durano brothers stopped being political allies last October, when the mayor fielded candidates for barangay captain against the incumbent officials who supported him in the May 10, 2010 elections.
The rift worsened when Mayor Boy appointed another brother, former mayor Jesus “Don” Durano, as city administrator. That move displaced his nephew, Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez Jr.
In an interview after a City Hall event last May, the mayor said he was not worried by the plan to recall him because he has been undefeated throughout his political career.
“Wa pa ko mapilde og election (I have never lost an election),” Boy said. But Vice Mayor Nito said he and the councilors are confident the recall election will prosper, because of the number of voters who signed the petition.
Bakud may field him or his son, Ace. The official being recalled automatically becomes a candidate and is not allowed to resign while the recall move is pending.
The city councilors who supported Nito in the recall move are Cane, Dr. Cynthia Arnado-Duterte, Miguel Antonio Magpale, Alejandro Lawas, Marilou Camaongay Flores, Jose Thaddeus Roble Jr., Carmen Remedios Durano-Meca, Roland Reyes, Jovelina Manilat-Enriquez and Ramonette Cynthia Durano-Mahinay.
There is only one ground for a recall election: loss of trust and confidence.
Recall proceedings may be started by 25 percent of a town or city’s registered voters, according to the Local Government Code. Another group that may ask for it is the preparatory recall assembly, composed of all the barangay captains and councilmen in a city.
If it finds the petition valid, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will then schedule an election on recall.
Nito, chairperson of the Bakud Party that dominates the fifth district, previously served as Cebu vice governor, three-term congressman and three-term mayor. His term as vice mayor began on July 1 last year.
Boy, on the other hand, previously served as mayor of Danao City for 17 years, during Martial Law. He was Nito’s vice mayor from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2010.
The brothers swapped positions during the May 10, 2010 elections, when both ran under Bakud.
This is the second attempt, so far, to have a recall election in Cebu Province.
In 2002, Cebu City’s Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) headed by then ABC president Jose Navarro filed a petition to recall then mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Of the 710 barangay officials in the preparatory recall assembly, 399 (including 54 barangay captains) signed the recall resolution.
However, the Osmeña camp went to court and the recall attempt did not advance beyond that stage.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/07/04/cebu-s-prominent-political-clan-heads-showdown-164833

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