ILOILO City – To ensure a smooth leadership change at city hall, Mayor-elect Jerry Treñas has formed a transition team composed of trusted people he would be appointing to various crucial posts.
Having served city hall when Treñas was the mayor from 2001 to 2010, these people are already familiar with the workings in the city government.
Treñas said the team would “ensure that the new administration would hit the ground running in order to deliver the platform of government espoused during the campaign period.”
For his part, outgoing Mayor Jose Espinosa III issued Executive Order No. 22-A organizing the Iloilo City Local Governance Transition Team (LGTT) which he himself would chair. Members include all department heads.
Treñas defeated Espinosa in one of the most lopsided and bitterly-contested elections in Iloilo City’s history. He got 134,143 votes against Espinosa’s 65,724 in the recent midterm elections.
Treñas said his transition team will be chaired by Jonas Belosillo, his incoming chief of staff.
The team vice chairperson is Melchor Tan, incoming city administrator.
Members of Treñas’ transition team are the following:
* Atty. Edgar Gil – incoming city legal officer
* Atty. Quintin Magsico – Incoming assistant city legal officer
* Noel Panaguiton – incoming assistant city administrator
* Francis Cruz – incoming office in charge of the Information Technology Department
* Francis Te – incoming senior executive assistant (EA)
* Salvador Sarabia Jr. – incoming EA for M.I.C.E. (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions/Events)
* Fernando Jose Rico – incoming EA for barangay affairs
* Rudiver Jungco – incoming EA for youth and sports
* Katherin Tingson – incoming EA for revenue generation
* Neuens Mitch Antiqueña – incoming City Hall Building Administrator
* Anita Encarnado – incoming assistant city hall building administrator
* Alfred Villanueva – incoming EA for social welfare
* Roy Firmeza – incoming head of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office
* Benito Jimena – incoming EA for tourism
* Police General Leo Puertollano (Retired) – incoming EA for peace, order and security
* Ninda Atinado – incoming head of the beautification program
* Hector Alejano – special EA to the mayor
* Maria Mathilde Octavio – incoming special assistant to the mayor, secretariat
Treñas’ transition team would review, audit, and inventory all undertakings including, but not limited to programs, projects, activities, financial utilization, human resource, and directives of the outgoing Espinosa administration.
The team is required to recommend an action plan “that shall set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that the Iloilo City government would be working toward new common goals and objectives, of attaining an inclusive, holistic, sustainable development.”
Meanwhile, Espinosa’s transition team has been tasked to conduct, too, an inventory of city government properties; gather, secure and preserve all official documents and/or records of official transactions; turnover accountabilities using the prescribed forms; organize a turnover ceremony, to include a briefing on the Governance Assessment Report and key challenges to the incoming set of officials; and ensure the accomplishment and timely submission of Elective Local Officials Personnel Data Sheet by incoming officials.
Early this week, Treñas told Panay News he would order a full audit of city government personnel.
The city government has taken in a lot of “illegal job hires” he said, and they were made to work as personal household help, family drivers, nannies, waitresses, even as barbers.
The come-backing mayor has also given several city hall department heads and other city government personnel a choice: resign now or face charges for electioneering, graft and corruption, even immorality, among others.
They should “find other gainful employment” outside the city government “otherwise we will have to deal with them,” said Treñas./PN
