Councilor’s league officials vow to promote Zamboanga

THE top officials of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) have vowed to be Zamboanga City’s ambassadors of goodwill and help bring out the good, positive, best and beautiful of the city.

The PCL held its 3rd National Quarter Assembly from Wednesday until Thursday in the city.

Some 1,000 PCL members from all over the country have attended the event despite the bad weather and negative perceptions.

The PCL officials, unlike the doomsayers and skeptics, said they believe in the capabilities and the important role of Zamboanga City in the development of Mindanao, which explains why they unanimously agreed to hold their 3rd National Quarter Assembly in the city.

PCL President Alma Moreno-Salic of Parañaque City, PCL National Chairman Allan Zulueta of Tagum City, PCL Secretary General Ramon Tabor of Cagayan de Oro City and PCL committee chairman Jesus Manuel Suntay of Quezon City were one in saying that holding the event in this city is testament of their individual trust and confidence in Zamboanga City as a safe, peaceful and bustling city.

“We are here to help promote Zamboanga City, a very peace place in Mindanao,” Zulueta said.

“We need to really open up Zamboanga to the different councilors so they will be able to learn some best practices in Zamboanga,” Zulueta said stressing “as chairman of the PCL Board, I really requested that we give Zamboanga City the chance to host [this event], after 22 years of existence of the PCL because will one way or the other prove really that Zamboanga City is a safe and beautiful place.”

He expressed admiration to the way Mayor Celso Lobregat, who hosted the welcome dinner on Wednesday, presented the enormous projects and programs of the local government implemented without the help of any financial institutions, in his welcome message.

“Nakikita po natin kung gaano kalakas ang liderato ni Mayor Lobregat and this is one reason that drove me to make Zamboanga as venue of this event,” he said.

Salic thanked Lobregat and the City Council of Zamboanga for the very warm welcome and very successful PCL national activity.

Salic said she was touched by the mayor’s issuance of an executive order declaring the period September 9-15 as PCL Week in Zamboanga, which is the first ever for a local government unit in areas where the PCL held its convention.

Executive Order CL 472-2012 enjoins the residents of the city to extend a warmest welcome to the PCL delegates as well as enjoins the business community to join the significant occasion by giving discounts and/or promotional materials to the delegates patronizing their establishments.

“Nagpagawa pa ng executive order si Mayor, first time na makatanggap kami nong ganon, thank you Mayor Lobregat,” Salic said.

She also expressed awe and delight in the many things that she was able to learn from Zamboanga City, specifically in the city’s implementation of projects using only local funds.

Tabor said he will encourage his people to come and visit Zamboanga City, as he described it to be a peaceful, booming and progressive city.

“Ever since, I have been impressed with Zamboanga City under the leadership of Mayor Lobregat and that is why the PCL came here to prove to all and sundry that despite the negative publicities, we believe that it is safe in Zamboanga City,” Tabor said.

Suntay described Zamboanga City as a very nice place and said the PCL did not make a mistake in holding the event here.

“Zamboanga City is a very nice city, yong beauty ng Zamboanga City hindi masyado naha-highlight, pag pinag-uusapan ang Zamboanga sa Luzon ang nasa isip magulo but that is farthest from the truth,” Suntay said.

He said it is but proper that the PCL hold more activities in Zamboanga City, adding that a positive aspect is not only about the oneness of the community with its natural setting but the numerous attractions and places available to visit.

Meanwhile, Lobregat expressed delight that the PCL officials have good impressions of Zamboanga City and are themselves offering to be the city’s ambassadors of goodwill.

Lobregat lamented that despite the generally positive feedbacks received from the visitors, some sectors, particularly those he termed as “prophets of doom” choose to highlight the negative and the ugly of Zamboanga City. (Bong Garcia)