ZAMBOANGA CITY(MindaNews / 12 April) – Five out of eight mayoralty candidates in this city have signed a covenant for a peaceful, orderly and honest May 9, 2022 elections during the Valiente (fearless) Mayoral Debate on Saturday, April 9.
Lawyer Stephen Roy Cañete, Commission on Elections (Comelec) officer here, stressed the need for a clean elections even during the campaign period, reminding the candidates that vote-buying is illegal.
Six out of eight mayoralty bets participated in the debate namely Vice Mayor Rommel Agan, Councilor John Dalipe, Karim Ismail Bahjin, Cesar Climaco Jr., First District Rep. Cesar “Jawo” Jimenez, Jr. and former mayor Celso Lobregat.
Those who did not show up were independent candidates Abubakar Barahama and Ephraim Ekong.
Those who signed the covenant for a peaceful and clean elections in the city were Agan, Dalipe, Climaco, Jr., Jimenez and Lobregat.
The debate, which was attended by people from the academe and multi-sectoral representatives, gave the candidates the opportunity to listen and respond to the concerns of the public.
The panelists in the debate were former Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce president Pedro Rufo Soliven, Monabelle Delgado, Atty. Gibran Abubakar of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and Sammy Santos.
Once elected, Jimenez, the standard bearer of Team Climaco, assured the residents that he will continue the city’s programs on education, free housing and health.
Agan, a lawyer and a certified public accountant, said a leader should be highly trusted by the people.
“As we try to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to work in a new normal, it is important to have a leadership that we can trust, someone with integrity who will do the right thing even if no one is watching,” said Agan, son of former mayor Vitaliano Agan.
He said his father taught him that a government position is not a business enterprise.
Lobregat, who was mayor for three terms from 2004 to 2013, recalled giving priority to infrastructure and education during his stint.
Responding to the question involving teenage pregnancy, Lobregat vowed to improve, strengthen and activate the Women Crisis Center, which also caters to abused children in the city.
Apart from improving health and social welfare services, he also vowed to strengthen the social programs for persons with disability and the LGBTQ community.
Dalipe, the youngest among the candidates, was asked about his views on ancestral domain.
He vowed to help the indigenous peoples and early settlers over their ancestral domain claims at the Zamboanga City Economic Zone and Freeport Authority and in other parts of the city. Dalipe likewise highlighted his anti-corruption program should he win.
Climaco, Jr. (not the son of legendary mayor Cesar Climaco) voiced out his thoughts on issues such as the minimum wage.
Bahjin, a newbie in politics and the sole Muslim candidate who attended the debate, vowed to develop and decongest the city.
“Our area in Zamboanga is big. We need to divide our place so that people will not congest in the city,” he said in Filipino.
Bahjin, who is fasting, had to leave early due to dehydration and was not able to sign the covenant.
The debate was organized by the Comelec, Philippine News Agency, Ateneo de Zamboanga University through DaSURV Electoral Engagement, Zamboanga-Basilan Integrated Development Alliance, Manos Unidas and the United Front for Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections. (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)