Cotabato City has new mayor after demise of Guiani

COTABATO CITY --- The vice-mayor here on Friday took over the city’s mayoral post, left vacant by Friday’s demise of Mayor Japal Guiani, Jr., to forestall hiatus in the operation of the local government.
Guiani’s sister, Vice-Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi and their nephew, Graham Guiani Dumama, took oath as mayor and vice-mayor of Cotabato City, respectively before Judge Bansawan Ibrahim of Central Mindanao’s Regional Trial Court Branch 13.
Dumama, by rule of succession indicated in the Local Government Code, must assume as vice mayor, having garnered most number of votes for city councilor during the May 9, 2016 elections.The symbolic installation of Sayadi and Dumama to the city’s highest and second highest elective posts was held in the People’s Palace here, the city government’s operation center.Guiani, who was supposedly in his third and last term as mayor, and his sister, a lawyer by profession, were running mates during the May 9, 2016 local elections.

Employees of the city government placed at no fewer than 2,000 their estimate of the number of people who attended Thursday’s Islamic burial rite for Guiani, who died just after dawn the same day in a hospital in Davao City.Guiani, popular for his having enticed investors to put up capital-intensive businesses in the city, among them huge shopping malls in the past six years, had gone on a long leave from work before he passed away.

Sayadi was Cotabato City administrator prior to her election as vice-mayor during the May 9 local polls.

Guiani was buried on Thursday afternoon in a Muslim cemetery at Barangay Gang in nearby Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao, some three kilometers northwest of Cotabato City.
As a religious norm, Muslims bury their dead within 24 hours from the time of death.Guiani started his political career as member of the city council, which he led as city vice-mayor for three consecutive terms.