OUTGOING Davao City Mayor and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio confirmed on Monday, June 13 that four city government department heads will be joining the Office of the Vice President.
Duterte-Carpio said three of them are already confirmed to join, while the status of the other one has yet to be determined, whether he or she will be retained in the position. She declined to name them for now.
"As to the names, dili lang usa nako i-announce kung kinsa ang mga muuban sa (for the meantime, I won’t be announcing the names of those who will be joining me at the) Office of the Vice President," she said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Notably, the camp of Duterte-Carpio and outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo had personally met on June 3 at the Quezon City Reception House. The Davao mayor's team was led by City Administrator Lawyer Zuleika Lopez and Human Resources and Management Office (HRMO) Head Lemuel Ortonio.
Robredo along with her chief-of-staff Usec. Philip Dy welcomed the transition team of Duterte-Carpio.
Duterte-Carpio, in a previous interview, said she is not lobbying for any high-ranking officials in the city to be part of the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr..
She said that it is the prerogative of her running mate to appoint anyone in the cabinet position.
The mayor said she is hands-off in the matter, emphasizing that if ever she would be the president, she would also be offended if anyone would dictate whom she should be appointing.
"Kung pakialaman nato ang pangulo sa mga i-appoint niya nga secretaries (If I would meddle in the appointing of secretaries), ang success or failure niana, tulubagon na siya sa President (the success or failure of it will be the responsibility of the president) because the president is the appointing authority," Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview on May 16. RGL