BACOLOD City Mayor Monico Puentevella has named family lawyer Aireen Bonghanoy as city legal officer, succeeding Rayfrando Diaz II who resigned end of August to serve as the mayor’s full-time legal counsel.
Bonghanoy, who once worked with the Commission on Audit for seven years, has been practicing law for 10 years.
The new City Legal Office (CLO) chief said she is ready to take the pressures that her work may bring.
Bonghanoy thanked the mayor for his trust and confidence in her.
She said that she considers her new job as a challenge and she will do her best to legally defend the interest of the city government.
Diaz, who joined Puentevella and Bonghanoy during a press conference conference Tuesday, said that he left the CLO to move on to a different role.
"The CLO is well organized now with all the staff motivated to help the city as well as the mayor. The mayor and I agreed in this change of course as I will be helping more in his legal needs. I will still be around when the city needs me," he added.
Diaz said he had once dreamed of establishing harmony between the mayor and Bacolod City Representative Evelio Leonardia by treating the people identified with the legislator fairly and correctly.
“But I was convinced that with people like Atty. Joselito Bayatan, such will remain as an impossible dream," he added.
Bayatan, counsel for Leonardia, had earlier said that Diaz’s decision to resign as city legal officer to represent Puentevella in a private capacity is a selfish move. (CNC)