Mayor Montilla, ten other officials took oath of office before MTCC judge

Re-elected Mayor Lina Montilla of Tacurong, together with ten other elected officials belonging to the Liberal Party, publicly took their oath of office before Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Presiding Judge Nectar Precious Hope Gumana-Mamon on June 28, 2013 at the city gymnasium.

Vice Mayor-elect Joseph George Lechonsito joined the mayor in the oath-taking as well as the other nine councilors, namely: Psyche Sucaldito, Charito Collado, Cirilo Flores, Rodrigo Jamorabon, Benjamin Fajardo, Jr., Paulino Ledda, Ariel Ferdinand dela Cruz, Joselito Cajandig, Sr., and Welson Ferrer. 

The public oathtaking was a re-enactment of the oath-taking done at the sala of Judge Mamon on June 11, 4:00 in the afternoon, twenty-seven days after they were proclaimed by the City Board of Canvassers.  

In her message in front of the huge crowd who witnessed the event, Mayor Montilla urged everyone that it is time to move forward and face the challenges of the next three years. She once again appealed to the constituents to continue their support to the local leadership and cooperate with the programs of the city government.  “We are renewing our commitment to the public that we will deliver what is expected of us in the next three years… the people had given their trust to us and we will not fail them,” Mayor Montilla said.

 

The officials had already complied with the requirements of the Commission on Elections regarding the filing of Statements of Election Contributions and Expenses (SECE). Under Section 14 of Republic Act No. 7166, every candidate is obligated to file his/her statement of contributions and expenditures.

Incumbent Mayor Lina Montilla was re-elected for her second term after getting 22, 774 votes in the recent mid-term elections. She won by a wide margin over her challenger Retired Army General Jerry Jalandoni who had 10, 120 votes. Official count of the Commission on Elections also showed Mayor Montilla winning in all barangays of the city.

Out of the 46, 379 registered voters in Tacurong, COMELEC recorded 76.15 percent voters turnout in the recent poll. (Allan Freno, LGU-Tacurong City)