‘Angeles City stagnated in 12 years of Nepo, Lazatin’

ANGELES CITY — Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan said Tuesday this city had stagnated in the 12 years that former mayor Francis Nepomuceno and Rep. Carmelo Lazatin (1st district, Pampanga) ruled as chief executives, respectively.

Pamintuan made a sharp contrast of his administration and that of his adversaries stating that health services and the development of the whole city have been put on hold in the past administrations, with little accomplishments in performance governance and other standards set by the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Though he credits his rivals for having done their part of the city, the mayor said it was not enough.

“There was even a time that Angeles City was overtaken in development by other component cities,” Pamintuan said, stressing said his administration was able to strive for development and move this city forward.

Pamintuan said his administration was able to move the city forward with the establishment of the City College of Angeles and strengthening of social services and finances of the city.

Pamintuan said they inherited more than P64 million in debt on garbage from the previous administration. A mountain of wastes has been dumped near ONA and Pampang Public Market, records show.

"When I learned about this, I made sure it will be addressed promptly. Today, we encourage every household to segregate as we continue our advocacy of protecting our environment," he said.

Pamintuan said he is now ready to face the challenges posed by his opponents and their allies in the 2013 mayoralty race here.

Lazatin earlier announced his plan to run for city mayor here while Nepomuceno is staging a comeback as 1st District Representative.

The potential running mates of Lazatin’s team include former vice mayor and veteran journalist Max Sangil; Lazatin’s son Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr.; incumbent councilors Alfie Bonifacio and Brian Nepomuceno; lawyers Angelo “Pinggoy” Lopez, Imelda “IQ” Tuazon and Nino Enriquez; and businessman Mon Dizon.