The new councilor of La Castellana town who took over from Donato “Natnat” Dumaguit, who was expelled from his post in December, will attend a Sagguniang Bayan (SB) session for the first time on Wednesday, March 20.
Kent Yrral Magnabe Magnabe took his oath as a new councilor of La Castellana before Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Monday, March 18, which was witnessed by La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan and his family.
He replaced Dumaguit who was implicated in a multi-million peso PNP recruitment scam last year. Dumaguit, who is facing multiple raps, was ousted for a series of unexplained absences from SB sessions.
Provincial Legal Office Alberto Nellas said Dumaguit was expelled by the La Castellana SB for absences without justifiable cause for more than four consecutive sessions pursuant to Section 50 of the Local Government Code.
His position was then declared vacant and Magnabe was appointed by the governor after a nomination from the United Negros Alliance (UNegA) pursuant to the Local Government Code, Nellas said.
Nicor said Dumaguit incurred 14 absences from the La Castellana SB sessions.
The mayor appointed Magnabe who ran in the 2022 local elections but lost after he landed in number 9 out of the eight slots.*