It’s the Red October and Beyond. Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. filed his Certificate of Candidacy last October 4 and is seeking another term to finish all his major projects and programs. The soft spoken, charming and affectionate Mayor said he has nothing to say to his political opponent, and reiterated that it is everybody’s right to run for any elective post.
For more than half a century, the Lazatins have been a champion for better roads, safer neighborhoods, improved quality of life, and a stronger economy for everyone not only in Angeles City but in the entire province of Pampanga as well.
But the emerging generation Mayor Lazatin, has created his own brand of leadership and art of governance. He is a champion for Angeles City and a pioneer manager for COVID crisis response. He is a firm believer in achieving progress through inclusion, innovation and information.
Since taking office, Mayor Lazatin has placed a heavy focus on improving the quality of life for all Angelenos while building resiliency through quality health services, education, social services, saving lives and providing livelihood in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also focused on addressing infrastructural development— in partnership with his brother Congressman Carmelo Jon Lazatin II, a winner even before the May 9, 2022 elections who is running unopposed — economic development, peace and order, agriculture, traffic management, environmental protection, arts and culture, and other revitalizing programs in the 33 barangays.
I will not emphasize what’s already obvious, we Angelenos cannot afford to vote for a new candidate who has no prior leadership skills that are evident or relevant to the job as local chief executive. In addition, a candidate who may not have the temperament to succeed in the very difficult job of mayor of a highly urbanized city like Angeles. How would he lead? Would he appoint competent people to key positions? Would he be able to obtain the necessary local funding and national government support to keep Angeles City moving forward amid the devastating effects of the pandemic?
I was born and raised in Angeles City, my fellow Angelenos. We don’t need three years of mistakes and on-the-job trainee for the mayoral post. Who has and will always be egoistic, narcissistic and unreliable. An aspirant who sow divisiveness, lies, and encourages bad mouthing, uncontrolled bashing in social media, and unconsciously creating monsters among his ranks who are patently suffering from disruptive behavior.
On the contrary to the new applicant’s attitude, Mayor Lazatin is a great uniter! The iconic color Red is the new, hybrid combination of all political colors in Angeles City. The over-all magnetic, sterling posture and performance of Mayor Lazatin has attracted an avalanche of alliances, realignments and strongholds from formidable reelectionists, political families, including barangay chairmen running as independent candidates in the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Mayor Lazatin has a very inclusive personality and approach. It’s the type of good politics that can get a lot of people on board, and that’s exactly what the city needs. A uniter not divider. It’s not divisive at all because he can attract even the critically minded or the thinking Angelenos and the undecided.
He will stay laser-focused on making decisions that will make life easier to every Angeleno – not for any specific political party. The city has benefited from strong residential property values amid the pandemic, no hike in real property tax and business tax, provision of tablets and free wi-fi to learners and educators, healthcare programs to senior citizens, PWDs and solo parents, efficient COVID response, livelihood programs for small and medium scale businesses, home for the homeless elders and street children, environmental protection and what have you.
And all these things have been accomplished while suffering through one of the world’s worst pandemics (COVID-19) in 2020.
Mayor Lazatin considers the management of the COVID-19 as his most significant achievement so far when the city reached a critical level of infection rate due to Delta variant, but managed to control the series of spikes up to this time attributable to the dedication of healthcare workers and professionals, and cooperation of barangay leaders and residents to the Ronda and Sundo Bakuna programs in the grassroots level aside from the two vaccination centers at the City College of Angeles and Angeles City High School Pampang.
VICE MAYOR VEGA VS. COUNCILOR RIVERA
I love this city. We’ve got wonderful people on the City Council cradled by the unbeatable Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting – making important (and correct) policy decisions that help make Angeles City the greatest city in the country. Angeles City’s never been in better shape under Lazatin’s leadership.
However, Vice Mayor Vega-Cabigting revealed that mayoralty aspirant and incumbent City Councilor Amos Rivera was lying on his claims that he has not been allowed to have his own support staff at the City Council.
“Maglaram ya,” Vega-Cabigting said on iOrbitnewsonline, “It’s not true that he hasn’t been allowed to have his support staff. In fact, he has three casual staff under the payroll of the Sanggunian.” Vega-Cabigting showed original documents submitted by Rivera’s staff for the payment of their Year-End Bonus amounting to P 54,052.64 to be released on November 15. The documents bear the wet signature of Rivera himself.
According to Vega-Cabigting, contrary to Rivera’s statement, all City Councilors have three Casual staff, all of whom are under the payroll of the Sanggunian.
“He paints himself a victim of politicking with these false claims, but we have documentary evidence that proves otherwise,” said Vega-Cabigting. Vega-Cabigting’s assertions come on the heels of Rivera’s explanation for the allegations that his office is always closed. On October 28, Rivera had come under fire after several residents from Barangay Anunas aired out their disappointment at being unable to ask for help from him as his offices allegedly remained closed even after multiple visits. “Karen ngan apulung councilors, aku ing alang staff ngeni. Ali da ku dininan staff ning current administration,” Rivera had said.
This is not the first time Rivera stated that he did not have his own support staff. Speaking in an online interview on October 5, Rivera had also lamented that he had not been allowed to have his own staff at the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Angeles City.