• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod has concurred July 16 the appointments of lawyers Mark Steven Mayo and Karol Joseph Chiu as city administrator and legal officer, respectively.
Mayo, 30, who worked as consultant of Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya when he was the Lone District congressman, was appointed July 1 on a coterminous status, with a monthly salary of P121,146, or P1.45 million a year.
He finished his AB in Political Science degree from the University of St. La Salle in 2015 and his Juris Doctor at the USLS College of Law in 2019, then took and passed the Bar that same year.
Mayo was elected Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson of Barangay 22 in 2010, and worked as local legislative staff officer of the Office of the Vice Mayor, before his stint as Gasataya’s consultant.
Chiu, 43, was retained by Gasataya as city legal officer (CLO).
He was secretary to then mayor Alfredo Benitez from 2022 to 2024, before he was appointed as CLO in Dec. last year. Also a co-terminus appointee, Chiu has a monthly salary of P121,146, or P1.45 million per annum.
He finished his Bachelor of Science, major in Political Science degree from the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in 2002, and Bachelor of Law in 2007, then took and passed the Bar that same year.
During their appearance before the SP July 9, Mayo and Chiu had committed to work closely with the legislative, and echoed Gasataya’s earlier assurance of full support and partnership in ensuring the best for Bacolodnons. | CGC
