After Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III announced last week he would be retaining Atty. Hernando Galvez and Atty. Lorna Laurea as city administrator and city legal officer, respectively, the two were confirmed by the Iloilo City Council during its regular session yesterday, along with Gene Garingalao, who will head the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) office.

Garingalao was promotionally appointed last month.

Espinosa recently created a review committee, following the Galvez and Laurea re-appointments, as there are still several positions that need to be filled since the mayor assumed the office last month.

His predecessor, Jed Patrick Mabilog, had earlier been criticized for excessively appointing executive assistants as there were already existing counterparts within City Hall.

Mabilog was previously dismissed on grounds of “serious dishonesty” and “unlawful acquisition of wealth” after the Office of the Ombudsman found, in the span of one year, Mabilog’s wealth increased by around P8.9 million, citing his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for 2012 quoting assets of P59.35 million, which increased to P68.34 million the following year.

The dismissed city official has also been out of the country since the end of August./WDJ