City Hall transition complete; new administrator vows transparency

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

‘We are here to serve the people, not to be served’.

This was the assurance of incoming City Administrator Melchor Tan once the administration of Mayor-elect Jerry Treñas assumes office on June 30, 2019.

Tan and other trusted allies of Treñas will return to City Hall on the same day.

According to Tan, his office would be open to the public.

“My style is I don’t work in a private office, I usually work in an open office, meaning anybody can go there even without an appointment in my office and just like before, my working ethics is I always finish what needs to be finished on that day,” he said.

He emphasized that unless authorized, the city mayor himself will be the only spokesperson of the City Hall.

“We have the policy that the only spokesperson in the City Hall is the mayor, unless (others are) authorized,” Tan said.

In preparation for the smooth take-over, the transition teams of Mayor Treñas and outgoing Mayor Jose Espinosa III met on Friday June 21, 2019.

The transition team of Espinosa turned over necessary documents to the incoming administration.

Outgoing City Administrator Hernando Galvez submitted the following documents:

• Governance Assessment Report Calendar Year (CY) 2018;
• Commission on Audit Report (CY 2018);
• Contracts and Loan Agreements;
• Comprehensive Development Plan;
• Local Development Investment Plan;
• Annual Investment Plan (CY 2018);
• Comprehensive Land Use or Physical Frameworks Plan;
• Capability Development Plan;
• Executive-Legislative Agenda;
• Organizational Structures;
• Inventory of Personnel by Nature of Appointment; and
• Executive Orders, among others.

“Happy kita nga we faithfully complied kung ano ang gina-require sa aton. And I believe nga ang tanan ina nga documents would clear na ang tanan naton nga transcations were proper,” Galvez said.

The outgoing city administrator said that Espinosa had been effective, especially in terms of the delivery on the basic services.

“Isa sa mga naging effective sa iya ang madasig kag epiktibo nga delivery sa basic services. He focused on the peace and order and nangin transparent kita sa tanan nga bagay,” he said.

Tan said the documents will then be handed over to Mayor-elect Treñas for evaluation.

“Ipakita ko ni kag iturn-over kay incoming mayor para makita ini kung ano nga mga documents and then siguro because kung ako lang isa hindi ko ni matapos para maassign niya kung para kay sin-o ni, I think that would be the best nga buliligan lang namon,” he said.

According to Tan, the biggest challenge once the Treñas administration steps in the City Hall would be the maintenance of good governance.

“There will be a lot of challenges but ang pinakadako maybe would be the maintenance of the good governance. We are here to serve the people not to be served,” he stressed.