New Cotabato City mayor assumes post after brother succumbs to illness

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The city’s new chief executive, Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, is keen on continuing the governance policies of his older brother, Mayor Japal Guiani Jr., who died of a lingering illness last Friday.

Guiani-Sayadi, sister of Guiani and elected last May 9 as vice mayor, assumed the mayoral post left vacant by the mayor’s demise in a simple rite Friday, based on the rule of succession stipulated in the Local Government Code.

The city’s first councilor, Graham Dumama, also took his oath as vice mayor in the same event.

Dumama has to assume as vice mayor being the top member of the Sangguniang Panglungsod, having garnered most number of votes from among councilors elected during the May 9, 2016 local elections.

Guiani-Sayadi had promised to carry on the peace and security, socio-economic and humanitarian thrusts of his late brother after she took her oath as new Cotabato City mayor.

“Our new mayor is more than capable of continuing the legacy and is ready to take on the responsibility to lead us towards a more progressive Cotabato City,” the local government unit said in a statement relayed Saturday by Halima Satol-Ibrahim, the city’s information officer.

The 56-year-old Guiani, who died in a hospital in Davao City just after dawn Thursday, was popular for his having enticed dozens of foreign and local capitalists to put up capital-intensive businesses here.

Huge shopping malls were erected by investors in strategic spots here during the first and second terms of Guiani, who died while in his last and third mayoral tenure.

Guiani-Sayadi and her brother ran in tandem during the synchronized local and national elections in May this year.

Guiani-Sayadi, a lawyer by profession, already launched various peace and security programs while vice mayor yet.

She has been leading nighttime security patrols by a group of policemen running after drug traffickers and motorcycle thieves.

Guiani-Sayadi also orchestrated the enactment by the city council, which she presided over while vice mayor, of new traffic ordinances.

She had also initiated the updating of old but still applicable ordinances meant to improve the local business climate.

Japal Guiani III, a new councilor installed via an appointment, was also sworn to office last Friday, along with Guiani-Sayadi and Dumama, by Judge Bansawan Ibrahim of Central Mindanao’s Regional Trial Court Branch 13.

Dumama’s takeover of the city’s vice mayoral post left one seat in the city council vacant, now occupied by the appointed councilor.