No disruption in MinDA operations amid power struggle

By Che Palicte

DAVAO CITY – Newly appointed Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairperson Leo Tereso Magno said Monday that the agency’s operations will remain unhampered, despite the conundrum caused by its erstwhile chief, Maria Belen Acosta.

“I don’t see that it is affected because the employees are doing their job. I don’t see any disturbance or problem,” Magno said in an interview.

Magno reported to the MinDA office and held an executive committee meeting to start work for the week.

Acosta, meanwhile, led the flag-raising ceremony.

“We talked about what needs to be done. We are preparing since MinDA will be joining the President on his visit to Brunei Darussalam,” Magno said.

Acosta, who filed a petition last week to challenge Magno’s appointment, maintained that there was no cause for her removal.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed Magno as MinDA chair on May 13.

Magno took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on May 21.

Through a letter, Bersamin told Acosta that her “term of office was terminated for cause due to the loss of trust and confidence in you on the part of the appointing power.”

Magno said she respects Acosta’s decision “to seek legal remedy. She said that she’s seeking a legal remedy or opinion from the courts.”

As to the confusion about the rightful signatory, he said it would be resolved within the day.

“I took my oath of office to fulfill the mandate and functions I am appointed to. So, I will work based on the oath and function as such,” Magno said, adding that if documents need his signature, he will sign them. (PNA)

CAPTION: OPEN FOR DIALOGUE:Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, newly appointed chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority, said in an interview on Friday (May 24, 2024) that he is open for a dialogue with his predecessor, Maria Belen Acosta. Despite the refusal of Acosta to step down, Magno urged the agency’s more than 100 employees to unite and cooperate to serve Mindanaoans better. (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)