During election years, the month of June is considered the most critical month in our government, both in the national and local level.
This is the period when old and new administrations meet (and, we must say here, should meet) in order to ensure a smooth transition of governance.
And why is this transition period vital? Simple: the outgoing and incoming administrations must ensure that the flow of government transactions will not be disrupted by the change of command.
This is especially vital if the incoming and outgoing leaders came from different political parties or have conflicted with each other during the campaign period.
Inevitably, there's going to be conflicts in management styles – which, as this paper had pointed out in this space a few weeks ago, will inevitably lead to changes in personnel, changes in management style, and most importantly, changes in the various services the local government unit delivers to the public.
After two years of a pandemic that has brought too much uncertainty to the public, uncertainty in this critical phase is the last thing we need.
Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez’s decision to call a meeting for all mayors – new and reelectionist – in the province carries a subtle message: let’s set aside our political difference and work together to achieve our common goals for our people.
Let's remember that the message carried by the incoming administration is “unity.”
If our new leaders in the province are serious in emulating that unity, they should start with working with their predecessors, no matter how they have clashed in the heat of the campaign period, in ensuring a much-needed “continuity” in a province that has already been buffeted by the impacts of the two-year Covid-19 pandemic.