Robredo's death delays filling up of Magpale's PB seat

CEBU, Philippines - The death of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo has further delayed the appointment of Danao City Councilor Miguel Antonio Magpale in the Cebu Provincial Board.

Magpale, 34, said that his appointment papers are already in Malacañang before Robredo’s death. But the declaration of the national mourning prevented them to make the follow up.

 “There might be a delay again sa appointment pero wait nalang gyud ta, after Secretary Robredo’s burial, things will continue and move on,” he said.

Magpale said his appointment passed on through the process and it never bypassed any agency and person in authority. Magpale was nominated by the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) Party in the fifth district to fill in the position vacated by his mother, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, who assumed her present position after the death of the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr.

The vice governor said they are not also in a hurry to appointment her son in the Board.

“Amo lang una gipasagdan sa Office of the President kay wa man sa’y dinalian (We just leave it there at the Office of the President because there is also no need to be in a hurry),” she said over Bantay Radyo.

She said that the constituents in the fifth district are being taken care of by her office together with Board Member Jude Thaddeus Sybico.

Miguel was elected number two councilor of Danao City in 2010 elections despite his being a neophyte.

He finished his double degree program in Communication Arts and Marketing Management at De La Salle University in Manila.

He is the brother of Energy Undersecretary Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit who also served one term as PB member from 2001 to 2004 to break the nine-year term of their mother. 

The delay in the filling up of the vacancy was due to an election protest filed by losing vice gubernatorial candidate Glenn Anthony Soco against Sanchez before the Commission on Elections. The Comelec has already dismissed the protest of Soco although it was elevated to the Supreme Court.     - THE FREEMAN