Paz: Why ‘import’ department heads?

CEBU, Philippines — Outgoing Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza has criticized mayor-elect Junard Chan’s move of choosing department heads who are not reportedly native residents of the city.

“Walay maayong tawo diri sa Lapu-Lapu? Well, apil siya (Chan) -- di siya maayong tawo kay sa Cebu City man iyang gipanguha nga department heads (Are there no qualified people from Lapu-Lapu? Well, he is not qualified, too, for hiring department heads from Cebu City),” Radaza told reporters during her last press conference as mayor at the City Hall on Friday noon.

Radaza, who has finished three full terms as mayor and will assume as Lapu-Lapu City lone district representative starting today, said Lapu-Lapu was able to stand on its own all these years, even without help from outsiders.

Radaza took pride in saying that throughout her incumbency as mayor, all department heads at the City Hall were residents of the city, which allowed them to “understand the needs of the constituents better.”

“That is why we are one district and we developed because of the Oponganons,” she said.

She described Chan’s recent move as an “insult” to the people of Lapu-Lapu.

Chan earlier said that he chose to tap non-Oponganon officials in his team, banking on their experience and expertise in managing the affairs of the local government units they were assigned previously.

He has not made public, though, the names of these officials.

“Taga-i lang ko og kahigayonan sa akoang pagkamayor kay lahi-lahi man ta og dinad-an (Just give me a chance to be mayor since we have different management styles),” he said.

Chan also argued that while some of the department heads he is hiring worked with other LGUs, they are nonetheless living in Lapu-Lapu.

Chan, who used to be the barangay captain of Pajo, defeated Radaza’s husband Arturo by a margin of 19,868 votes in the last May elections. Radaza got 66,108 votes while Chan got 85,976 votes.

Don Radaza also lost to Chan’s running mate, Celedonio Sitoy, by 5,592 votes after the latter obtained 70,533 votes compared to his 64,941 votes.

Before Chan’s victory, the Radazas have ruled the city for the last two decades. —/JMD (FREEMAN)