COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A councilor whom President Rodrigo Duterte appointed last week to occupy a vacant seat in the city council reported for work on Tuesday.
Duterte appointed Councilor Japal Guiani III on January 18 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Guiani's father and namesake, the late Mayor Japal Guiani Jr.
Mayor Guiani died from an illness in September 2016.
His post was taken over by the late mayor’s younger sister, Vice Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, whose position as vice mayor was then filled by Councilor Graham Dumama, the councilor with the most votes in the 2016 polls.
Dumama's assumption as vice mayor created a vacancy in the city council, which has 10 elected members and a representative each from the association of barangay chairpersons here and from the local indigenous non-Moro community.
Halima Satol-Ibrahim, city information officer, told The STAR Wednesday said Guiani's formal entry into the city council was made markedly conspicuous by his participation in its regular session last Tuesday.
“He hinted about his plan to update old ordinances, some approved more than a decade ago, as among his immediate concerns as city councilor,” Satol-Ibrahim said.
She said Guiani promised to focus on amending old ordinances addreess the current security, socioeconomic, religious and cultural situation of the city.