FOR THE QUORUM: DILG Eyes Temporary Appointments for Antique’s SP

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The party representatives of eight suspended Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) officials in Antique may temporarily fill their vacated seats to maintain a quorum, the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Western Visayas (DILG-6) said.

DILG-6 Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero said the agency is considering a similar approach to the one used during the suspension of the same officials in August 2024.

“The same format that we did last August, wherein each party concerned will nominate the temporary official to fill the vacancy. They will nominate from the party, and we will submit it to the Central Office. The DILG, with the authority of the president, will appoint,” he told Daily Guardian on Wednesday, March 19.

Ingeniero said DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-21 outlines the general policies and procedures for filling temporary vacancies.

Under the guidelines, nominees must meet all the qualifications outlined in Section 39 of the Local Government Code of 1991 and have none of the disqualifications under Section 40.

If the suspended SP members are not affiliated with any political party, the DILG will appoint a qualified individual based on the recommendation of the SP, provided a quorum remains.

Ingeniero added that the temporary appointments will only be in effect until June 30, 2025, as newly elected officials will assume office on July 1.

He noted that there is no specific timeline yet for the appointments, as the process depends on party nominations and subsequent approvals.

The Office of the Ombudsman recently ordered the one-year suspension without pay of eight SP members after finding them guilty of multiple administrative offenses.

The suspended officials are Egidio Elio, Rony Molina, Victor Condez, Alfie Jay Niquia, Plaridel Sanchez IV, Mayella Mae Ladislao, Kenneth Dave Gasalao, and Julius Cezar Tajanlangit.

The suspension serves as a penalty for grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct unbecoming of a public officer after they failed to act on a budget proposal from the governor.

The Ombudsman’s order states that if an official cannot be suspended due to retirement or resignation, they will be fined an amount equal to their one-year salary, payable to the Ombudsman.

This is the second time these officials have been suspended.

In August 2024, they were preventively suspended for six months over the same charges. After serving their suspension, they resumed office in February 2025.

During the previous suspension, the DILG took a month to appoint three temporary officials, causing significant delays in legislative functions, including the approval of ordinances and budget proposals.