DAVAO CITY — Newly-appointed Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Leo Tereso Magno visited the MinDA office at the Pryce tower building here Thursday afternoon to submit all the needed documents for his appointment.

The concurrent Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao brought with him the said documents and submitted the same to the Human Resources Department of MinDA.

To recall, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Magno as the new MinDA chair on 13 May 2024 and took his oath of office before Executive Secretary and former Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin last 21 May.

However, the appointment was met with opposition after former MinDA chair Secretary Maria Belen Acosta argued there was never a vacancy in the MinDA chairmanship since she was not removed, nor is she facing any administrative or criminal charges.

But Bersamin — through a letter dated 22 May — informed Acosta that Magno is the new MinDA chair and cited “loss of trust and confidence” by the appointing power as the reason for the termination of her chairmanship.

“Your declaration is utterly untenable for being contrary to existing laws and relevant jurisprudence. I need to stress that your replacement was effective and valid upon the assumption of your successor in office, Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, on 21 May 2024,” Bersamin stated in his two-page letter to Acosta.