Celso, Beng, Erbie’s alliance stays stronger beyond 2010
The political alliance of Mayor Celso Lobregat, District 1 Congresswoman Beng Climaco and District 2 Congressman Erbie Fabian, the formidable triumvirate of the local Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) party, remains stronger now and even beyond 2010 elections despite efforts by certain quarters to pit them.
This, as Mayor Lobregat and Congressman Fabian declared yesterday their partnership in the upcoming elections, both running for the same positions with Congresswoman Climaco, who also made similar pronouncements early last week.
“Since Erbie has already declared that he will run for the same position (in 2010), I also declare I will not run for congressman either in District 1 or District 2. I will run for mayor and the present vice mayor (Mannix Dalipe) will run for mayor,” Lobregat said.
“Erbie and I (together with Beng) will remain partners,” Lobregat further declared in a message during Fabian’s distributing of bush cutters and bougainvillea seedlings to east coast barangay officials yesterday morning at the covered court in Barangay Culianan. “Our partnership remains stronger maskin tiene sector ta pone gallo kanamon,” he said.
For his part, Fabian stressed that he may differ with the mayor in as far as the branding of Zamboanga from the City of Flowers to Asia’s Latin City “but I don’t see it as a problem because the bottom line here is that we work together for the good of the city and its people.”
Elective and appointive officials from 61 barangays under District 2 converged yesterday morning at the Culianan covered court, another project of Cong Fabian, to receive bush cutters, bougainvillea seedlings and other souvenir items courtesy of Cong. Fabian, who just arrived from a study trip to the United States.
“This is an indication that we are very much concerned in making Zamboanga City presentable,” Fabian said of the bush cutters he had distributed to all barangays under his district in support of the city government’s cleanliness campaign.
“This is not in conflict with anyone here, particularly to my partner his honor the mayor,” Fabian said as he also distributed bougainvillea seedlings to bring back the image of Zamboanga as City of Flowers.
Lobregat pointed out Zamboanga was and can still be known as City of Flowers even as he believed that such branding is not unique anymore to Zamboanga.
According to him, there are many cities in the country that can rightfully claim as City of Flowers. The cities of Baguio, Davao and Tagaytay, for instance, are known for their many varieties of flowers. “They, too, like Zamboanga can claim as City of Flowers.”
However, the mayor stressed, there is one thing that Zamboanga can be most proud of, something that is more unique and “something that can never be taken away from us”— the Chabacano language, the only Spanish derivative language widely used and spoken by Zamboangueños on a day-to-day basis.
Thus, he said, the branding “Asia’s Latin City” is not only unique but more distinctive as well for Zamboanga. (Vic Larato)