ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 24 September) — Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco will run for representative of the city’s first congressional district under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
The party has adopted Climaco as its candidate, aligning her with Vice Mayor Rommel Agan, chair of the local UNA chapter, and Councilor Elbert Atilano.
Agan and Atilano formally launched Thursday their respective bids for mayor and vice mayor before a select audience of friends, family members, and media at Hotel Regency in Pasonanca, this city.
Agan, a lawyer and accountant, took the oaths and signed their certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONA) as UNA’s candidates.
Agan, known as “the good vice,” presented his Pro Deo, Patria et Civitat (For God. Country and City) as the thrust of his coalition if they win in next year’s election.
Agan, who rarely accepted speaking engagements, surprised his audience with his eloquent speech dealing with what he described as the need for a “strong leader” with courage, integrity, and perseverance.
Without mentioning names, he said Zamboanga needs a leader who is not an opportunist in crisis, not a profiteer, and not afraid to act.
“We are all interconnected than we ever thought we were. It takes only a few people, disregarding protocols to start a chain reaction of transmission and a spike in afflictions. Perhaps, they don’t strike the government and their non-cooperation, their disobedience is an expression of that lack of faith,” he said.
“But why? why do I speak of these things? I dwell on these things because that is my conviction: That leadership is first and foremost about character. Emergencies change and often catch us by surprise. It could be a natural disaster. It could be a breach of peace and order.
“Or it could be an economic upheaval. Not even the most farsighted person could have predicted this pandemic that we are in. But character—character is for all time. I speak of these things because those are the very standards that I hold myself up to,” he said.
Atilano, Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz’s trainer in her growing years, was endorsed by the champion weightlifter.
Agan was shown in photos with Sen. Manny Pacquiao when the latter endorsed him as mayor. He was in the US during Pacquiao’s losing fight against Yordenis Ugas last month.
As local chair for UNA, Agan is authorized to sign and issue the CONA for candidates for vice mayor and city councilors.
“I just received a copy of the list of authorized signatories for Zamboanga City submitted by UNA headquarters to COMELEC (Commission on Elections),” he said in a phone interview. (Frencie Carreon/MindaNews)
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