Team to ensure smooth transition

CEBU, Philippines — More than six weeks before the new administration will take over the Cebu City Hall, the members of the Local Governance Transition Team (LGTT) will meet today to discuss a smooth and transparent transition.

The team is composed of outgoing Mayor Tomas Osmeña as the chairperson of the team, vice chairperson is City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete, while the members include all department heads of the city, Department of the Interior Local Government City Director, one representative from the CSO, NGOs or POs who are members of the City Development Council.

 “The mayor might not be active in this and it will fall on my responsibility to preside and to ensure that everything that is required by law in terms of MC 2019-39 will be complied with,” Villarete said.

He said Osmeña issued an executive order for the creation of LGTT in compliance with the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued Memorandum Circular No. 2019-39 dated March 13, 2019 enjoining all local chief executives to create their transition teams.

Villarete said the team will ensure smooth local governance transition to the newly-elected local officials who will assume office noontime of June 30 and continuity of services for the public.

While congratulating Mayor-elect Edgardo Labella and Vice Mayor-elect Michael Rama, Villarete assured the incoming administration and the public that the team will be transparent in giving reports like the disbursement in the Annual Budget, programs, projects, and other concerns that the new administration needs to know.

In the executive order, the LGTT team will be responsible for the gathering, securing, and preserving all documents like the Governance Assessment Report of 2018, report of the Commission on Audit, contracts and loan agreements, the comprehensive development plan, organizational structure, executive orders, Full Disclosure Policy, among others.

“There are a lot of documents that have to be processed, prepared. There are reports and plans stipulated in the memorandum circular and the executive order…I will have to assign these to the department heads and offices in charge to comply with the requirements of DILG,” Villarete said.

He said there will be an official turnover ceremony which includes a briefing on the Governance Assessment Report and key challenges to the incoming set of officials on June 30 for a “seamless” leadership and management transitions.

Villarete said the transition team aims to prevent the hampering of delivery of services to the public.

He said the team will also invite the incoming officials next month before the final turnover on June 30. — GAN (FREEMAN)