Council approves Lopez appointment

THE 18th Davao City Council approved the appointment of lawyer Zuleika Lopez as city administrator.

Lopez, in an interview with the media yesterday, expressed excitement over meeting with members of the city council.

In a resolution, majority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod members approved the official appointment of Lopez.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio appointed Lopez who started her duty on August 1.

Duterte-Carpio, in previous interviews, said she wanted to have someone who’s reliable for the position as the city administartor’s duty is quite equal to

that of the city mayor.

Lopez, for her part, thanked Duterte-Carpio for the full trust and confidence given to her.

She also extended her gratitude to the members of the City Council.

“I and the team of the department heads and chiefs of offices of the executive department of the local government look forward to working with every single one of you towards the achievement of the 10-point priority agenda of our beloved city nayor,” she said during her courtesy call at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall yesterday.

Lopez already served as acting city administrator under the administration of Mayor Duterte-Carpio from to 2010-2013. Her appointment was rejected by then Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte for the reason that she did not have enough experience in administration and management work required under the Local Government Code for city administrator.

The code requires a city administrator to possess the experience in management and administration work for at least five years.