JEANNIFY Tan-Dungog, a lawyer, is the wife of Ferdinand Dungog who ran for councilor in Lapu-Lapu City in 2016 under the PDP-Laban. Ferdinand lost (he landed #18 in the race that picked only 12 councilors).
But, surprise, his wife Atty. Jeannify landed in the City Council instead. Via substitution, when Damian Gomez Jr. died last March 2 and his council seat became vacant.
The local Liberal Party, under which Gomez ran and won, expected to have a party colleague occupy the seat.
They relied on the Local Government Code; they didn’t think the law’s intent could be defeated. Tan-Dungog rooted and fought for her PDP-Laban husband and party mates who to the LPs were the “enemy.” To get Gomez’s seat, Jeannify hurdled that obstacle by simply signing a certificate of LP membership: instant LP.
The local LP didn’t know that the party’s national leaders -- LP president Francis Pangilinan and LP chairman and vice president Leni Robredo (yes, the VP) -- signed Dungog’s certificates of membership and nomination. Francis and Leni apparently didn’t consult the local LPs who were stunned when they first learned that a political enemy would replace Gomez. It was a smart maneuver, neat but still gross and humiliating to the the local LPs. And Pangilinan and Robredo were complicit to the “hijacking”: they gave away the seat that rightfully belonged to the local LP. Would Team Rama allow UNA’s Jojo Bingay to pull a similar stunt in Cebu City? There are two vacant seats in the Cebu City Council that rightfully belong to Team Rama but could still be snatched away by poachers. “Atangi.”
u2022 • •
‘Sacked’ only from post
Elvira Cruz, district collector from Cebu, is one of eight district collectors of the Bureau of Customs whom BOC chief Isidro Lapeña has relieved from their post. Thirty section chiefs of the bureau have also been reassigned. Earlier, Isidro said he’d relieve any officer who would “disregard his marching order to stop corruption at their respective posts.” But note, they’ve not lost their jobs, just their “juicy” assignments.
TIP US OFF. TELL US ABOUT IT.
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