The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has retracted the issuance of a show cause order over Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno’s alleged “failure” to implement a memorandum involving war on drugs, August 6.
DILG Undersecretary for External and Legislative Affairs Ricojudge Janvier Echiverri has first issued the show cause order on July 9, 2021 and explained that it is the second order Moreno received after the 2019 show cause order.
Pursuant to the recent order surfaced on Thursday, August 5, Moreno was given 10 days to explain why he “should not be held administratively liable” over the allegation that he “failed” to comply with Joint Memorandum Circular 2018-01 or the “Implementing Guidelines on the Functionality and Effectiveness of Local Anti-Drug Abuse Councils” issued and probed by the DILG and Dangerous Drugs Board.
Both 2019 and the latest show cause orders, however, are based on the Anti-Drug Abuse Council Performance Audit in 2018, a period in which Moreno was still working as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) undersecretary and not yet as a city mayor. Moreno was only elected as Manila mayor in 2019.
Echiverri admitted in a memorandum released Friday that the show cause order is an “error” and must have been directed against former Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.
“A Show Cause Order (SCO) was first immediately transmitted in 2019 to the City Government of Manila for failure in the Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) Audit for 2018, which Audit was finalized and confirmed in the same year that incumbent Mayor Francisco Moreno had assumed office as City Mayor of Manila. However, the 2018 Audit reflected the poor performance of the City Government of Manila under the previous City Mayor,” Echiverri said.
“The second Show Cause Order issued this July 9, 2021 is therefore an inadvertent re-issuance. By virtue of this error and the guidance of policies and procedures of the Department, we are hereby withdrawing the document in issue,” the DILG Undersecretary added.
Reiterating that the show cause order was erroneously issued and dated even before his mayorship, Moreno took it to his social media accounts to express his dismay.
“Wow galing ha! Sunod sunod na!” Moreno said in Twitter and Facebook posts.
(Wow, this is great! One after another!)
The show cause order was unveiled after numerous indirect tussle between the Manila Mayor and the current administration, forming a public speculation that politics might be involved.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya then apologized to Moreno and assured that the “inadvertent re-issuance” is not a result of political agenda.
“Since there is a mistake that was done, as spokesperson of DILG, we express our apologies to the mayor of Manila for having issued this erroneous show-cause order,” Malaya stated.