[ad_1]
– 4 weeks ago
Mabalacat City, Pampanga, Philippines — Aurora Province Lieutenant Governor Reinante Tolentino on Monday took the oath of office as the new governor of the coastal province, replacing lawyer Christian Novelas, who was removed from the governorship by the Office of the Ombudsman last December. went. Year.
Mr. Tolentino, who was elected to the state board in 2022 to represent the Aurora 2nd District, was suspended on September 6 last year by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for allegedly using government resources. Initially, he was appointed deputy governor to replace Cristian’s father, Gerardo Novelas. for his campaign materials.
Read: Comelec supports disqualification of Aurora lieutenant governor
acting governor
On February 7, the Office of the Ombudsman found Christian and his father, temporary government employee Michael Tequico, “guilty of gross misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the service, and unscrupulous conduct,” and suspended Christian. As a result, Tolentino became acting governor. of civil servants. ” The incident still involved the printing of campaign materials for the Novelas camp at the Aurora Training Center, a government-owned facility.
State Commissioner Jennifer Aranha, who also hails from Aurora’s 2nd District, assumed the position of lieutenant governor.
The Inquirer’s attempts to reach the ousted governor for comment were unsuccessful. Christian has not returned to Parliament House since accepting his suspension last February, though at the time he remained in the position despite being fired in December 2023.
The late Narcisco Almancec, a former state commissioner who was killed along with his wife and driver in an ambush on October 3, 2022, filed a lawsuit against Novelases after the May 2022 vote, and the government was unable to obtain election materials. He claimed to have witnessed it being printed. Owned compound.
[ad_2]
Source link