Gwen warns Davide: Avoid midnight deals

CEBU, Philippines — Ahead of the formal assumption of newly-elected officials on June 30, the camp of governor-elect Gwendolyn Garcia has warned Capitol officials of the outgoing administration to refrain from closing “midnight” deals and issuing appointments.

In a press statement issued Sunday, Garcia’s transition team advised vice governor-elect and outgoing Governor Hilario Davide III to “refrain from filling-up vacancies, closing deals, entering into contracts and transactions” in order to give Davide’s successor an opportunity to consider names in accordance to her new policies as she also plans to revive programs she had implemented when she was governor back then.

“Basically, the outgoing governor’s role from now on until the inauguration is merely just to prepare for the orderly transfer of authority to the incoming governor. He should not do anything to obstruct the policies of, or undermine, embarrass his successor,” said lawyer Manolette Dinsay, one of Garcia’s legal counsel, in a press statement.

Garcia, who will assume as governor noontime of June 30, appointed lawyers Dinsay; Marino Martinquilla; Lito Astillero; and Frank Eduard Dinsay to compose the transition team of her camp.

The lawyers are expected to hand over today at Davide’s office a letter which embodies Garcia’s warning that she will not honor any midnight deals, appointments and transactions by the outgoing administration.

In the same statement, Garcia’s camp claimed that “the current administration (under Davide) has hastily proceeded with the construction of the proposed Capitol resource center even without the approval of the National Historical Commission (of the Philippines)” a few months before the May 13 elections.

The lawyers also reiterated the move of Davide’s administration in taking out a P1.5-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to finance the project which Garcia has opposed.

Garcia already gave a warning to DBP in releasing the amount, as well as to the contractor in proceeding with the ongoing project.

To recall, Garcia and her camp has already filed legal suits before the court and the Ombudsman office to stop the project. (FREEMAN)