LGU leaders gather as a ‘show of force’

CEBU, Philippines —  Deputy Speaker Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco has gathered almost all elected municipal and barangay officials of the 5th District of Cebu in a general assembly to update them of the ongoing and upcoming projects and programs for the district.

Team Frasco’s General Assembly for the 5th District of Cebu was a show of force for a unity gathering of local officials from the 11 local government units of the district.

“A first in the history of the district, close to 300 mayors, vice mayors, councilors, barangay captains, and SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) presidents gathered at the newly opened 5-star Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort yesterday, February 17,” said Frasco.

Fifth District Provincial Board Members Andrei “Red” Duterte and Michael Joseph “Mike” Villamor were also in attendance.

Also present were high ranking officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Education who presented updates on the ongoing and upcoming 2023 projects and programs for the district.

Under Frasco’s leadership, hundreds of millions of pesos of infrastructure projects have been allocated for the fifth district, including the ongoing construction of the Camotes Airport, the Liloan Boulevard, the Asturias-Danao-Liloan Bypass Road, the construction of two new Cebu Technological University campuses in Liloan and Borbon, numerous multi-purpose buildings, flood control projects, and covered courts.

Ongoing as well is a scholarship program with over 15,000 scholars for the 2022-23 school year alone, the provision of Medical Assistance Funds in all major hospitals in Cebu and now in Ormoc City in Leyte for the constituents in the Camotes Islands.

Frasco said that with this unprecedented unity amongst elected officials in the fifth district, it has converted 91 percent of the top incumbent officials to Team Frasco.

In November last year, all four municipalities in Camotes Island had joined Team Frasco.

Incumbent officials who include San Francisco Mayor Al Arquillano and Vice Mayor Aly Arquillano, Tudela Mayor Jojo Solante and Vice Mayor Erwin Yu, Poro Mayor Gary Rama and Vice Mayor Dina Rama, Pilar Mayor Winky Santiago and Vice Mayor Chiziline Maratas took their oath of allegiance before Frasco.

When Frasco first ran for Congress in 2019, only two of the mayors of the 11 LGUs in the Fifth District were with Team Frasco, namely Liloan and Borbon.

“After having instituted our programs and projects focusing on education, health, and infrastructure that dealt sweeping change across the district, by 2022, six mayors and their local slates won and/or were reelected with Team Frasco,” Frasco said.

With the addition of the Camotes island LGUs, 10 of the 11 incumbent officials of the Fifth District are now allied with Team Frasco, except Danao City. — GAN (FREEMAN)