Councilor starts road to Benguet provincial board

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Last termer 40–year-old Councilor Jim Botiwey hopes to have a great break in his political career as he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) on October 1.

He filed for a board member position in District 2 of Benguet from being a plain councilor of the town. The province’s district 2 covers La Trinidad, Tublay, Kapangan, Atok, Kibungan, Bakun, Buguias and Mankayan.

Botiwey said he will be part of the Liberal Party wherein it is headed by Representative Ronald Cosalan in Benguet. He added he filed his COC with the presence of his party mates and Cosalan.

The councilman said that he started his political leadership in 1993 where he was elected as SK Federation president. He served as youth representative in the town’s council until 1996. Later, he became the Cordillera representative of the Southeast Asian youth program.

He left the officialdom after the program and worked in a buy-and-sell car business.

In 2004, he returned to the political arena where he was voted as councilor. In his first term, he ranked as top eight councilor while number 2 in his second terms and finally, number one councilor on his current term.

He opted not to aspire for a mayoral or vice mayoral positions because he claimed the officials who applied for it are his friends. He admitted he lacks background on how to handle an executive office. He further said he is only familiar with the legislative office.

Meanwhile, incumbent Vice Mayor Romeo Salda applied for another term as vice mayor under the National Unity Party of Governor Nestor Fongwan. With him are party mates Councilors Francis Lee, Estrella Adeban, and Roderick Awingan who filed their COC for the retention of their positions.

Mayor Gregorio Abalos also filed his COC as reelectionist under the Liberal Party alongside councilors Arthur Shontogan, Horacio Ramos Jr. and Henry Kipas.