Friday, December 28, 2007 Arquiza hailed for feats, commitment to service
MAYOR Celso Lobregat Thursday led city officials in paying tribute to the late Luciano Arquiza Jr., Pasonanca barangay chairman who succumbed to a liver disease shortly before Christmas.
In his eulogy, read by City Caretaker and Administrator Elias Enriquez during Arquiza's necrological services, Lobregat extolled the accomplishments of the fallen barangay official and dubbed him as a great leader and a good father.
"Losing a loved one at this time of the year when families and friends get together to rejoice the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is indescribable and beyond description. I tool felt this way when I lost my mom just a few days after Christmas four years ago and honestly I still feel the same until today," the mayor said in his eulogy.
Lobregat came to know the late barangay chairman when he was still out of politics. Arquiza was a dedicated loyalist of Lobregat's late mother, Maria Clara, from the time she was the congresswoman until she assumed as mayor of the city. Differences in political beliefs saw Arquiza siding with another party during the 2001 and 2004 elections, but Lobregat said, the same did not severe their ties, as "friendship continued and became even stronger when he returned to our fold after that political exercise."
As a friend, the mayor described the late Arquiza as simple, frank and one who often wanted things to be done on time. As a family man, he stressed, Arquiza was a devoted husband to wife Maria Victoria and loving father to children Katriza, Kayzer, Kolbi, and Khan.
Before Arquiza died last December 18, Lobregat recalled the numerous encounters he had with the barangay chairman. One was last November in Manila where they attended the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative and the Department of Energy for the implementation of a P5 million rural electrification project in the east coast. Arquiza, he said, had to bring along his wife to attend to his needs, as he was nursing a broken arm due to a vehicular accident a few days before the October 29 barangay elections. "Indeed he was a committed leader for he put the interest of his people above his own."
Lobregat also acknowledged Arquiza's accomplishments as the village chief for the last 10 years. Among these feats were the implementation of infrastructure projects like drainage systems, lateral roads, bridges and slope protection. It was also during Arquiza's term when the Pasonanca Barangay Council was adjudged as the best in budget preparation in a nationwide competition.
The mayor visited Arquiza at the hospital a few days before he died. In that visit Lobregat even encouraged Arquiza to get well and get out of the hospital fast so he could attend the party he would tender for barangay chairmen last December 20.
Lobregat expressed regrets that Arquiza would not be here to inaugurate the proposed Pasonanca Barangay Hall with a health center, which the City Government has set to implement this year. The project, he said was one of Arquiza's dreams as the barnagay chair.
Arquiza's funeral was attended by thousands of relatives, friends and supporters who included top officials of the city government. He succumbed to a liver disease December 18 at the age of 53. He is survived by wife Maria Victoria and children Katrina, Kayzer, Kolbi and Khan.
The necrological services were done at the Pasonanca Parish Church and the remains were interred at the Forest Lake in Tumaga. (Sheila E. Covarrubias)
