The Asenso Silay, Asenso sang Panimalay team led by re-electionist Silay City Mayor Mark Andrew Golez filed their certificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) local office Tuesday, October 16.
He was joined by vice mayoral bet Tom Ledesma and their 10 candidates for councilor namely TV anchorman Ryan Gamboa, Denden Velez, Max Javelona, Lyndon Bernardo, Ryan Montoro, Linda Caja, Mildred Garay, Ramon Calebre, Noynoy Penuela, and Manny Buensuceso.
Golez said Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, and former Fourth District representative Jeffrey Ferrer, both candidates for governor and vice governor, respectively, along with other officials joined them during the filing of their candidacy.
"This is a complete slate and a well-balanced team. All sectors of our city were all here and I am happy and inspired and motivated to campaign in preparation, come what may, for the 2019 elections,” Golez said.
“When you say ‘asenso,’ there is progress and there will be more progress, growth and development in Silay. I believe that when we organize and educate our people, progress, growth and development will flourish through our team. They have done this in the last election and you can see the progress, growth and development of our city and more to come,” he added.
He said there’s “democracy in action” in Silay with the filing of COCs by his team and their opponents, as he asked his constituents to “vote wisely” and “know your candidates.”
“By God's grace, everything will fall into place. We will achieve our victory in the coming election by God's will and the support of our people," he said.
For his part, Gamboa, son of the late vice governor Roy Gamboa, said "politics runs in the blood because of my dad. But I enjoyed my work as a media practitioner. One of the things that I enjoyed the most is the aspect of public service through the media where I helped a lot of people through my work. My mission was to translate that heart of public service from the media to politics and hopefully, I can help more people in our hometown."
He never thought that he will also be in politics after his father passed away.
"If he was here, he would probably give me the same advice. To follow the principles and values that he taught me - not to go astray in that path and be a good public servant and as a politician," he said.
Since 1987, he joined his father in his political campaign.
"In 2001, I was his campaign manager when he ran for governor and when he was vice governor, I visited his office frequently. I talked to his employees and went around the town. We visited his projects like artificial reefs, talked to the fisher folk and farmers. When the Panaad Park and Stadium was constructed, every day, my dad was there overseeing the construction and I was there also. It was very special to me because I was an athlete at that time and for that, it was the home of the Palarong Pambansa in 1998 where I was able to play. It feels good that I was a part of that. I have learned so much from what my dad used to do in politics, his mission and attitude."
But on his own, he wants to bring a brand of politics in Silay City where “we look at the bigger picture because Silay City is a very beautiful place where a lot of culture and heritage with a lot of potential to be more than what it is in terms of being relevant to the world today. Hopefully, I can be one of the leaders who points the city in the right direction in terms of development, tourism and in terms of educating the people on how to take care of their city and how to develop it properly. Hopefully, this city will be more beautiful in the future.”
He said he joined Golez’s team because he is a childhood friend, but he never been inclined to enter politics. “I just observed their movements from afar as a media practitioner. But looking at the team right now, being a basketball player, our team is a balanced team. It is not a team of superstars but a team of role players where each one has a role to do in case we win.”