Confirmed

BEFORE the chaotic opening session of the House can even start, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Naga confirmed me this morning as full-fledged city planning and development coordinator (CPDC) in absentia; it was already a done deal when I peered in after an officemate texted that my presence is being requested at the session hall.

The relevant provision under the Local Government Code of 1991 can be found in Section 254(d):

Unless otherwise provided herein, heads of departments and offices shall be appointed by the city mayor with the concurrence of the majority of all the sangguniang panlungsod members, subject to civil service law, rules and regulations. The sangguniang panlungsod shall act on the appointment within fifteen (15) days from the date of its submission, otherwise the same shall be deemed confirmed.

It was supposed to take place last week, but a snafu in transmitting my papers to every member of the council prompted Councilor Esteban Abonal to ask why confirmation is being discussed in the absence of these documents.

At that point, I suggested that it be deferred: to my mind, the council must be afforded the chance to make an informed decision, on the basis of complete information on all appointees. I closed by saying "I am not in a hurry to be confirmed anyway," and immediately left the session hall.

Unfortunately, that last statement was misinterpreted by some member of the council, who thought I may have been slighted. Nagmoto-moto daa. :-D

But all is water under the bridge now. And no, there were no projects or favors asked of me, unlike the horse-trading Commission on Appointments in Congress. I am sure Philippine local governments have the moral high ground here over their "more exalted" counterparts.:)