Notice No. 08-2022

NOTICE NO. 08-2022

TO: The Judicial Assembly

FROM : The Prime Minister-Elect

SUBJECT : Explanation of the Prime Minister as required in Advisory Opinion No. 01-2022

DATE : 15 August 2022

The Prime Minister-Elect sincerely apologizes for the delay in taking the oath of office following the 2022 Parliamentary and Special Elections. As the head of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Prime Minister-Elect hereby commits to be responsible and accountable for any unconstitutional action within the Parliament.

It is worthy to note, however, after the 2022 Parliamentary and Special Elections, the Prime Minister-elect decided to take his oath of office with the Cabinet Ministers on 10th of June as the 25th day after the proclamation of the winning elected candidates. The scheduled date decided by the Prime Minister-Elect was moved to an earlier date which is 2nd of June with the ceremonial transfer of power with the then-incumbent officers. Unfortunately, the last weeks of May and the first weeks of June were filled with hectic academic schedules and extracurricular errands, such as; the Prime Minister-Elect, the Deputy Prime Minister-Elect, and the Chief Jurist-Elect, having been appointed as student representatives for the PAASCU accreditation in school for the dates of May 30 and 31. The Prime Minister decided to move for the third time the scheduled date for the oath-taking which supposedly was held on 7th of June.

On 2nd of June, the then-incumbent officers and the newly-elected officers conducted a virtual transfer of power and the turnover of documents via Google Meet and held its fellowship activity on 3rd of June. Everything is on schedule with the flow of programs, inaugural address, and among other actions taken in preparation for the oath-taking ceremonies on June 7th. Unfortunately, problems arose when some appointed officers to the organs of the Parliament appointed by the Prime Minister-Elect incidentally withdrew from their positions. The Prime Minister-Elect postponed for an indefinite period the oath-taking and focused on the issues on appointments.

Due to these fortuitous events, the Prime Minister-Elect unintentionally overlooked the oath-taking schedules due to the tumultuous academic stress and moved the oath-taking ceremonies before or during the P-POL Orientation for the First Semester. The then-incumbent officer and the moderator decided to have the oath-taking at the start of the school year. The reason being is that it’s difficult to gather the students during vacation and also pointed to using this period to prepare for the school year. The Prime Minister-Elect and his Cabinet Ministers expected to have their oath-taking at the start of the first semester of the school year. The Prime Minister-Elect drafted the ordinances, policies, orders, and other pertinent issuances for the Parliament throughout his summer vacation, not to waste time and be prepared for his term of office this academic year.

Despite the voluminous works and gargantuan problems faced by the Prime Minister-Elect, he is still moving forward for the sake of the Parliament and its Members. The Prime Minister-Elect enjoys his summer vacation in front of his laptop, drafting all pertinent issuances for the Parliament while waiting for the start of his term with his Cabinet Ministers. Once again, the Prime Minister-Elect sincerely apologizes for the delay of the oath-taking ceremonies.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister-Elect and the Deputy Prime Minister-Elect conducted its meeting on August 12th and 14th in preparation for the oath-taking ceremony which will be held on August 16th in Moot Court. The Prime Minister-Elect shall issue notices in relation with the August 16th oath-taking of all elected and appointed officers of the Organs of the Parliament.

To all Members of Parliament, being a leader is difficult. I accepted the challenge to be your head of the organization. Whatever happens and despite the circumstances that I have faced, I will continue to soar high and to serve because every time I exude my confidence in all of my work. This is how life-long learning means. Continue to move forward in times of trials of so many kinds. God Bless the P-POL and God Bless our work as the leaders of the Parliament.