LINGAYEN–Is the position for provincial legal officer (PLO), which has long been vacant now, being reserved for lawyer Geraldine Baniqued, who lost in the May 2007 election as board member for the 4th District?

There have been talks within the provincial capitol that Espino intends to appoint Baniqued to the position and is just waiting for July 1 to do so.

Philippine law bans appointments or hiring of defeated candidates to government positions within one year upon the assumption into office of the winning candidates.

Baniqued was the Dagupan City Legal Officer when Rafael Baraan, now the provincial administrator, was the city administrator under the Lim administration.

Lim is also presently a consultant to the Espino administration.

Baniqued also served as PLO during the term of the previous governor, Victor Agbayani until her resignation in 2005 for unknown reasons. The position has been vacant since.

Sixth district Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr., in a privilege speech Monday, has again urged Governor Amado Espino Jr. to publish the vacancy as it has been eight months now since the governor assumed his port.

“I am sure there will be many applicants if advertised,” Bince said, adding, “Unless of course, the position is being reserved for someone else at the appropriate time.”

Meanwhile, Board Member Amadeo Espino, Liga ng mga Barangay provincial federation president and brother of the governor quickly defended his older sibling.

“There is a whale of difference between no appointment and no takers,” the younger Espino said.

He added that the governor even offered an additional compensation of P25,000 a month on top of the regular P32,000 pay to encourage applicants.

Bince said the province urgently needs a PLO, especially to hasten the resolution of pending cases before the Court of Tax Appeals, which require the appearance of a PLO.

He added that legal opinion is needed not just by the province but the municipalities as well.

Earlier, the governor sent a letter dated January 31 to the provincial board in response to Bince’s earlier call.

The governor said he wanted to clarify “persistent reports that the provincial executive branch has been causing delays in the passage of laws, ordinances, and other important pieces of legislation, especially those coming from the municipalities, due to the absence of a provincial legal officer in whom the Sangguniang Panlalawigan depends for legal advice or opinion”.#

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