GENERAL SANTOS CITY(Mindanews/28 June) — Reelected Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao and other elected officials in this city and nearby Sarangani province will separately take their oaths on Saturday before Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Rochelle Nispero, staff member of the Sarangani congressional district office, said on Friday the vice president has confirmed to attend the scheduled oath taking and turnover ceremonies and administer the oaths of office of Pacquiao and other elected provincial officials of the province.
She said the oath taking and turnover rites were set at 9 a.m. at the Sarangani provincial capitol gymnasium in Alabel town.
Pacquiao ran unopposed in the last May 13 elections under his own political party People’s Champ Movement (PCM), which forged an alliance with Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
The PCM-UNA slate won all but one of the contested provincial positions and swept all seven mayoral posts.
Also taking their oaths on Saturday are incoming Gov. Steve Chiongbian-Solon, Vice Gov. Maria Geraldine “Jinkee” Pacquiao and the 10 elected provincial board members.
Solon, who is the outgoing vice governor, ran unopposed as governor while Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee won by landslide in the vice gubernatorial race.
The newly-elected board members are Elmer de Peralta, Alexander Bryan Reganit, Cornelio Martinez Jr., George Falgui, Eugene Alzate, Hermie Galzote, Virgilio Tobias, Arman Guili, Abdulracman Pangolima and Cesar Nallos Jr.
The oath taking and turnover ceremonies will be highlighted by the turnover address of outgoing Sarangani Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez, who is ending his third straight term as governor on June 30, and the inaugural addresses of Pacquiao and the incoming governor and vice governor.
In this city, Binay will also administer the oaths of office of incoming Mayor Ronnel Rivera, Vice Mayor Shirlyn Nograles and the elected city council members.
The newly-elected city councilors are Dominador Lagare III, Elizabeth Bagonoc, Ramon Melliza, Franklin Gacal Jr., Rosalita Nunez, Shandee Llido, Brix Tan, Arturo Cloma, Richard Atendido, Vivencio Dinopol, Marius Oco and Eduardo Leyson IV.
The oath-taking ceremony was scheduled at 2 p.m. in front of the city hall building.
“The program will be very short and simple,” said Zeny Eturma, head of the city’s human resources and development office.
Rivera and Nograles bannered the PCM-UNA slate, which won seven of the 12 contested city council seats in last month’s polls.
Rivera, who topped the city council race in the 2010 elections, defeated former three-term South Cotabato first district representative and incumbent mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio of the administration-backed Liberal Party-Achiever’s with Integrity Movement slate. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)