LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – Vice Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman officially assumed the post as governor of Albay on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 1, after Gov. Noel Rosal was disqualified by Commission on Election (Comelec) en banc with finality.
Lagman, elected in May, was the beneficiary of the case filed by Joseph Armogilla against Rosal for violating Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) on the 45-day spending ban in the last elections.
Lagman took his oath of office at the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) in the presence of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 5 (Bicol) director Atty. Arnaldo Escober and lawyer Ian Macasinag.
In a press conference, Lagman said that the interest and welfare of the people and the province will prioritized over partisan and transactional politics.
"I am just an incidental beneficiary of that case. However, it should be underscored that when I won as vice governor, with an overwhelming 463,879 votes, the voters were aware that under the law, I could succeed as governor. Verily, my mandate included that possibility, which is now a reality," Lagman said.
The motion for reconsideration of Rosal's camp was dismissed by the poll body on Nov. 18 after no new evidence was presented in the case.
The Comelec issued a certificate of finality in the petition for disqualification against Rosal on Nov. 25.