Masayang ipinakita sa media ni Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay ang TRO na nagpapahinto sa pagpapatupad ng suspension sa kanya ng Ombudsman bilang alkalde nitong Lunes, March 16, 2015. (PHOTOVILLE International)
MANILA, Philippines – Makati Mayor Junjun Binay was grateful for the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Court of Appeals on the six-month suspension issued by the Office of the Ombudsman against him and 22 other officials of Makati City.
At past 8:00 this morning, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, led by DILG Director Brion, went to the Makati City Hall to serve the suspension order.
However, said order was only posted outside the city hall because almost the entire city hall was closed this morning.
Many of the employees were not able to report for work because early on, more than 2,000 policemen from NCRPO and several members of the PNP-SAF surrounded the city hall.
Employees and supporters could only enter through the basement.
At past 12:00 noon, the Court of Appeals (CA) issued a temporary restraining order stopping the six-month suspension of Mayor Binay.
“We maintain that the order was not legal. With the TRO, I mean, this is not important, what is important is for us to go back to work,” Mayor Binay said.
The TRO is effective for 60 days.
Binay’s camp will be paying P500,000 as bond for the TRO issued by the court.
Mayor Binay was overjoyed because he can finally go home after almost five days of staying at the city hall.
The Mayor decided not to leave the city hall until the Court of Appeals has acted on his appeal for a TRO.
Binay’s camp expressed dismay on the immediate serving of the suspension order by the DILG in spite of their petition in court.
“They shouldn’t have been too hasty because everyone knows that the case has been brought to the Court of Appeals. They sped things up, they made the vice mayor take the oath. Look at what happened now, the restraining order was issued,” Atty. Claro Certeza, Legal Counsel of Makati Mayor Binay said.
The Mayor immediately faced his supporters to tell them of the court’s decision, and told them to go home. (Joan Nano / UNTV News)