Mt Prov ‘transition team’ created as gov’s fate hangs

Comelec rule awaited on proclamation of Mayaen-Luis 

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The provincial government has created a transition team to prepare and ensure smooth turn-over of local governance to newly-elected provincial officials on June 30 even as the Commission on Elections has yet to rule whether Cathy Jill Mayaen-Luis can assume office by June 30 as provincial governor.

The Comelec en banc earlier ruled Mayaen-Luis, a lawyer, could not substitute for her late father as gubernatorial candidate since the late Mayaen was an independent candidate who ran unopposed the last elections.

Comelec chairman Andres Bautista earlier said special elections for the gubernatorial post of Mountain Province would be scheduled after the May elections.

But despite this, the provincial board of canvassers proclaimed the younger Mayaen-Luis as winning governor which resulted to a case filed against them at the Office of the Ombudsman.    

In a five-page complaint, Salvador Liked of Bauko town filed charges of grave abuse of authority and acts prejudicial to the best interest of the service against provincial election supervisor Julia ElenitaTabangin, provincial prosecutor Golda Bagawi and schools division superintendent Gloria Boya-ao.

 Jill Mayaen, who filed a petition for substitution on May 5 after her father Gov. Leonardo Mayaen died of a heart attack on March 31, was proclaimed on May 10. 

The respondents said they proclaimed Mayaen because there was no aggrieved party.  

The older Mayaen, whose name remained in the official ballots, got 60,684 votes.    

Liked said the resolution issued by the Comelec May 7 denied Mayaen’s petition. 

 “The illegal acts of the respondents… constitute a gross disregard of the highest order of morality in the civil service which is also punishable under provisions of RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees,” the complaint stated.

This, as Cordillera assistant regional Comelec director Vanessa Rongcal said in Baguio Friday they have yet to receive communications from their main office on whether Mayaen-Luis could sit as provincial governor by June 30 considering theComelec en bancearlier decided she could not run as provincial governor.

She said they have yet to wait for such communication before they can act on the matter.

To ease the situation, Executive Order No. 05 – 2016 created the Local Governance Transition Team of the province composed of Gov. BonifacioLacwasan, Jr. as chairman, Provincial Administrator Johnny Lausan as vice-chairman and heads of departments of the provincial government as members.

Also members are Department of the Interior and Local Government provincial director Anthony Ballug, Commission on Audit representative Esther Dao-as and Lyn Madalang from civil society organization.

The transition team is tasked to conduct an inventory of the real and immovable properties of the provincial government such as land, buildings, infrastructure facilities and improvements and machineries as well as movable properties such as vehicles, office equipment, furniture, fixtures and supply stocks.

The team will also gather all documents or records such as, but not limited to 2014 governance assessment report; 2015 Commission on Audit report; contracts and loan agreement, if any; local development investment plan; 2016 annual investment plan; comprehensive land use plan or physical framework plan; capability development agenda; executive-legislative agenda; organizational structure; inventory of personnel by nature of appointment; executive orders; full disclosure policy documents, among others.

The team is also tasked to organize a turn-over ceremony where the incoming set of provincial officials will be briefed on the governance assessment report and key challenges.

The team will also ensure the accomplishment and submission of Elective Local Official Personnel Data Sheet by the incoming officials and submit the same to the Human Resource Management Office, Office of the Sunggunian and the DILG field office.

The creation of transition teams in all local government units nationwide is mandated in DILG Memorandum Circular 2016-21 to ensure a smooth turn-over of local governance to their new set of incoming officials. – With a report from Andrew Dogaong