Inaugural ceremony for new set of city officials set on Friday
The inaugural ceremony for the new set of city government officials is set on June 15, 2007 with Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. as the administering officer. The ceremony will be held at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.
It was learned, however, that opposition councilors Perla Zulueta and Lex Tupas will not join in the said ceremony.
Tupas already took his oath before elected senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III while Zulueta reportedly refused to join the inaugural ceremony as they were already proclaimed by the Commission on Elections.
Before, the oath taking ceremony, there will be a mass at the San Jose de Placer Church at the Plaza Libertad. The new set of elected officials are Rep. Raul Gonzalez, Mayor Jerry Treñas and Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog. Treñas is already on his last term as city mayor.
The other elective officials in the Sangguniang Panlungsod are Councilors Erwin Plagata, Julienne Baronda, Armand Parcon, Eduardo Peñaredondo, Jeffrey Ganzon, Antonio Pesina, Eldrid Antiquera, Lyndon Acap, Ely Estante and Jose Espinosa III.
Said officials are identified with the administration party led by Secretary Gonzalez.
Those who were given new mandates at the city council for another term are Plagata, Baronda, Parcon, Peñaredondo, Ganzon, Zulueta, Estante and Espinosa. While, it is a re-entry for Pesina at the city council after he ran and lost in the vice mayorship in 2004 elections. The newcomers in the city council are Antiquera, Acap and Tupas. The new set of elective officials will assume office on July 1, 2007.
After the inaugural ceremony, there will be an "inaugural lunch" at the Iloilo Grand Hotel. Expected to attend are the city's barangay captains and barangay councilors and all the supporters of the winning candidates.