City Councilor Jeannify Dungog
CDN PHOTO/Norman Mendoza
New Lapu-Lapu City councilor
Clad in a suit and carrying a shoulder bag and a folder containing various documents, lawyer Jeannify Tan-Dungog calmly went inside the Lapu-Lapu City Council session hall past 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
It was her first time to join the weekly session since she was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the newest member of the City Council last Monday, a designation that caught many councilors and Mayor Paz Radaza by surprise.
“I am excited to start my job as a councilor of Lapu-Lapu City and serve my fellow Oponganons,” she told reporters.
Dungog, 45, was handpicked by President Duterte to replace Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Damian Gomez Jr., who died last March 2, 2017.
Her husband, Ferdinand Dungog, ran for city councilor but lost in last year’s elections under President Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
Dungog’s appointment, however, came as a complete surprise to members of the Liberal Party (LP) in Lapu-Lapu City who would have wanted former Councilor Rudy Potot to take over Gomez’s post.
Gomez was affiliated with LP, like all nine other councilors in Lapu-Lapu City.
Dungog said she is a member of the LP-Cebu province chapter and has all the documents, including the Certificate of Nomination and the Certificate of Membership, from the LP.
Former Cordova mayor Adelino Sitoy, who is the current Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs, and head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, admitted it was he who personally nominated Dungog to President Duterte.
“Ngano man diay ug ako ang nag-endorse, makahilo na (What’s with me endorsing her? Is that something poisonous)?” he told Cebu Daily News over the phone laughing.
When Gomez died in March 2017 and one council seat was left vacant, Sitoy said he asked President Duterte if he could nominate someone to replace the deceased councilor.
“I earlier told Jenny (Dungog) that she was my choice to replace Councilor Gomez. So I asked the President if I can nominate someone. The President said ‘okay.’ So I nominated Jenny. He is the appointing authority, so that’s it,” he explained.
“As to how she (Dungog) got the endorsement from LP? That’s her efforts already,” he added.
Sitoy’s challenge
Sitoy challenged those who oppose Dungog’s appointment as councilor of Lapu-Lapu City to formally send a letter to President Duterte and question the latter’s decision.
“Why don’t they ask the President about it? So I advise them to write down all their queries and sent them to the President,” he said.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Radaza, also a member of the LP, said they were on a quandary as to why it was Gomez who was appointed by President Duterte.
“There is a rule that the appointee must come from the same political party with the person being replaced, and that the appointee shall have a nomination and certificate of membership signed by the highest official of the said party,” the mayor said.
“We endorsed someone (Potot) to take over Councilor Gomez. But we were surprised as to why another person was appointed. Anyway, the President already made a decision. Let’s just see what brand of service Councilor Jeannify can offer to the people of Lapu-Lapu,” the mayor added.
Last Monday, Dungog took her oath of office before Judge Anna Marie Militante of the Regional Trial Court Branch 53 in Lapu-Lapu City.
The following day, she paid a courtesy call on Radaza and gave the mayor a copy of her appointment which was signed by President Duterte last September 4.
“I just don’t know what happened to our endorsement, and why things turned out this way,” Radaza said.
Verify status
For now, Radaza said they have to welcome Dungog as one of the councilors of Lapu-Lapu City.
“Well, she is already there. The President has signed her appointment. (And so) I welcome her. I have nothing much to say about her because I only met her once. Anyway, it will be the people of Lapu-Lapu who can best judge how she works as councilor,” the mayor said.
During the council session on Wednesday, most councilors preferred not to discuss the issue concerning Dungog’s appointment and to simply proceed with other agenda.
But Councilor Gregorio Paquibot Jr. could not hide his disappointment over Dungog’s appointment and decided to file a resolution asking LP officials in Manila to verify the status of Dungog and to determine whether or not the lady councilor has a certificate of nomination and certificate of membership from the political party.
“It is also unfair for those who voted for the late Damian Gomez who was a legitimate LP member and had the certificate of nomination from the highest ranking official of the party,” Paquibot said.
Dungog was nonetheless recognized by Lapu-Lapu City Vice Mayor Marcial Ycong, the City Council’s presiding officer, and was allowed to sit in the council.
Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Flaviano Hiyas, on the other hand, said they just have to abide by the President’s choice.
“All we can do now is to maybe ask for an explanation if there was something wrong with it. But to question the President’s decision is hard,” he said.
Rebuttal
Sought for comment after the session, Dungog lashed out at Paquibot for questioning her appointment.
“It only shows how ignorant Councilor Paquibot is. I would not have this appointment if I don’t have all the requirements,” she said.
Dungog said she has all the documents to prove she was qualified to be appointed to the position.
Dungog, however, did not say who in LP signed her nomination papers.
Dungog, who has a six-year-old daughter, is a resident of Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City.
She finished Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Bachelor of Laws. Dungog passed the Bar examination in 2005 and has been in private practice, specializing in commercial and civil laws.
Cebu City
The appointment of Dungog came just as the Cebu City Council has also been waiting for the decision of President Duterte as to who will replace Councilor Nendell Hanz Abella, who vacated his seat after he was appointed as commissioner of the seventh division of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) last month.
Last week, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) endorsed Renato “Junjun” Osmeña Jr. as Abella’s replacement.
Abella ran under Barug Team Rama, the local affiliate of UNA, in last year’s elections.
A certificate of nomination and acceptance was signed by both UNA chairman and former vice president Jejomar Binay and Osmeña.
Barug Team Rama stalwarts, led by former mayor Michael Rama, pointed out that with Osmeña’s certificate, there should be no other nominee who would be submitted for the consideration of the President. /WITH SENIOR REPORTER ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL