Replacement of vacant PB post stalled anew

CEBU, Philippines - The filling up of the vacant post of the Provincial Board for the fifth district of the Province of Cebu has been stalled anew.

Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said that businessman Glenn Anthony Soco’s filing of a motion for reconsideration on the dismissal of his election protest against the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. before the Commission on Elections prompted them to decide not to fill up the vacant slot yet.

“We have decided nga di lang usa namo fill-apan, (…that we won’t fill up the post yet),” Magpale told reporters yesterday.

Magpale earlier said that they are going to fill up the vacant post which she left following her ascension to her present position after Soco’s election protest was dismissed by the Comelec.

Soco has filed a motion for reconsideration before the Comelec Second Division in Manila asserting that the commission “gravely erred” in issuing its May 8, 2012 order as the same is contrary to the mandate of prevailing rules and jurisprudential doctrines in an election contest.

Magpale said that to fill up the vacancy was supposed to be one of the agenda of the meeting of their party, Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud), on its political plans for 2013.

The law provides that the party affected by the vacancy shall nominate the replacement.

In the case of the fifth district, Bakud shall be the one to nominate to the President the replacement of Magpale since she belongs to Bakud Party.

Magpale was the presiding officer pro-tempore then before she replaced Sanchez who died of cancer in April 29, 2011.

Magpale’s son, Danao City Councilor Miguel Antonio Magpale, is being eyed to fill up the position.

The vacant PB seat in the fifth district has an appropriation of P5 million which could have been distributed for projects in the barangays should there be an official holding office.

Magpale said though that she is taking care of the barangays in the fifth district using the funds of the office of the vice governor.  (FREEMAN)