CEBU CITY – Dismissed Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes welcomed the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order by the Supreme Court that allowed him to seek reelection in May.

Cortes denied allegations that a P1-million bribe was involved in the granting of the TRO against the Commission on Election  resolutions.

DISMISSED Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes is mobbed by his supporters after a thanksgiving Mass on Tuesday, Jan. 21. (Jonas Cortes FB)

“Og tinuod man gane na, mupahuway ta oy. Pahuway ta sa politika. Dili na tinuod. Insulto kaayo na sa SC…Ako taas kaayo ko og respeto sa justice system (If that is true, I would rather take a rest, quit politics. That’s not true. That’s an insult to the SC. I have high respect for the justice system),” Cortes said in a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

The TRO prevented the Comelec from canceling Cortes’ Certificate of Candidacy (COC) or excluding his name from the list of candidates in the elections.

The Office of the Ombudsman previously suspended Cortes for one year without pay due to grave misconduct stemming from his appointment of an unqualified individual to a City Hall post.

The Ombudsman dismissed Cortes from office for allowing a batching plant to operate without necessary permits.

Adding to Cortes’ woes was the Comelec order cancelling his COC for alleged material misrepresentation after he failed to disclose his dismissal orders in his candidacy.

Cortes turned to the SC and filed a petition for certiorari seeking to overturn Comelec's decision to cancel his candidacy.

With the issuance of the TRO, Cortes is poised to figure in a gigantic collision with fellow mayoral candidate Jonkie Ouano, an incumbent provincial board member and brother of Mandaue lone district Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano.

Cortes said the  issuance of the TRO “is a testament to its role as the last bastion of justice and democracy.”

“I urge everyone to approach this moment with sobriety and unity, allowing due process to take its course,” he said.

After the press briefing, Cortes and his allies, led by Mandaue Mayor Glenn Bercede, attended a thanksgiving Mass at the National Shrine of Saint Joseph.

“To my supporters, thank you for your continued support and belief. You give me strength to continue this fight with integrity and resolve,” Cortes said.