James Cuenco replaces father Tony at City Council

CEBU, Philippines —  Former Cebu City Councilor James Anthony Cuenco will return to the City Council to fill the seat vacated by his late father Antonio Cuenco once his party’s recommendation is approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The older Cuenco succumbed to (COVID-19) on June 27, 2020.

In a virtual press conference Wednesday, July 8, 2020, the Barug PDP-Laban party with which Antonio ran in the 2019 polls announced it has chosen James as replacement.

Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia, the Council's majority floor leader, said the party went through a consultative process in choosing Antonio’s replacement. Party members came up with a shortlist and narrowed it down to two: James and former councilor Jocelyn Pesquera.

Pesquera, however, gave way, and said she will still help the Council, especially in crafting ordinances.

Under the Local Government Code, “Where a permanent vacancy exists in the sangguniang panlalawigan, the sangguniang panlungsod and the sangguniang bayan involved, such vacancy shall be filled by the appointment of the nominee who belongs to the same political party under which the sanggunian member concerned who caused the last vacancy had been elected.”

James’ appointment would need Duterte's approval to be official.

"None of these is still final, I still need to be appointed by the President. But having said that, I would like to offer this nomination likewise to my colleague, Joy Pesquera, whom I'd like to share this position with. She has exhibited a lot of very good ideas in the midst of this pandemic and I would like her to be on board when I do sit in the council," James said.

He thanked his political party for entrusting him with a “very great responsibility”.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama, the Council’s presiding officer, said it will have to be discussed if James will also handle the committees in the Council that his father left.

"We still have to discuss actually again as a Sangguniang Panlungsod and then guided also by our mayor," Rama said.

Antonio was the chairman of the Council's Committee on Transportation, Communication, Energy, and Other Utilities, as well as the Committee on Education, Science and Technology.

For his part, James served as councilor for two terms from 2013 to 2019. He did not run in 2019.

His political career, however, did not go without bumps.

In October 2017, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed James from service after finding him guilty of serious dishonesty and grave misconduct over irregularities in the use of his father’s the P3.3 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of his father.

Dismissal from service carries with it cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

But in 2018, the Court of Appeals overturned the Ombudsman ruling and ordered that James be reinstatement to the City Council.

The appellate court said there was no evidence that pointed directly at James as having involved in the irregularities reported by COA.  JMO (FREEMAN)