Vice gov assumes top post in Aurora

MABALACAT CITY—Aurora Vice Gov. Reynante Tolentino took his oath of office as the new governor of the coastal province on Monday, replacing lawyer Christian Noveras, who was dismissed from the gubernatorial seat by the Office of the Ombudsman in December last year.

Tolentino, who won as provincial board member in 2022 representing Aurora’s second district, initially replaced Gerardo Noveras, Christian’s father, as vice governor after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified the older Noveras on Sept. 6 last year for allegedly using government resources for his campaign materials. On Feb. 7 this year, Tolentino became the acting governor when the Office of the Ombudsman suspended Christian after finding him, his father and casual government employee Michael Tecuico “guilty of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and conduct unbecoming of public officials.” The case was still related to the printing of the Noveras camp’s campaign materials at the Aurora Training Center, a government-owned compound.

Provincial Board Member Jennifer Araña, also from Aurora’s second district, has assumed the vice gubernatorial post. The Inquirer tried but failed to reach the ousted governor for comment. Christian has not been back at the capitol since he willingly accepted his suspension last February, who at that time had remained in his post despite his dismissal in December 2023.

The late Narcisco Almansec, a former provincial board member killed with his wife and driver in an ambush on Oct. 3, 2022, filed the cases against the Noverases after the May 2022 polls, saying he witnessed the printing of their campaign materials at the government-owned compound.