IT WAS a sea of blue and white at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in the City Of San Fernando on Friday evening as thousands of Fernandinos gathered to declare their all-out support to the Team I Love San Fernando’s opening salvo.
Team I Love San Fernando is headed by re-electionists Mayor Edwin Santiago, Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin, councilors BJ Lagman, Reden Halili, Ruping Dumlao, Nelson Lingat, Harvey Quiwa, Tino Dizon, Ato Agustin, comebacking councilor lawyer Raul Macalino, and councilorables incumbent village chiefs Ariel “Buboy” Carreon of San Felipe and Tina Lagman of Saguin.
The team was welcomed by their supporters from the 35 villages here, all wearing blue and white shirts, as the candidates officially start their crusade dubbed “#LabanNingBalen” or “fight of the city.”
The Kambilan Party led by gubernatorial bet Vice Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda and unopposed Third District Representative Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, Jr. also graced the group’s campaign kick-off as a show of support and unity.
Pineda, who was also accompanied by board members Rosve Henson and Anianas Canlas, Jr. said that the party’s attendance aims to show the unity and the trust of Pampanga leaders to the administration of Santiago.
“We were here during their filing of certificates of candidacies and we are here again in their opening salvo because we are partymates and we share the common goal of providing sustainable development to San Fernando and Pampanga,” Pineda said.
Santiago, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Fernandinos who expressed their support and joined them during their parade and in the campaign kick-off activity.
“It is overwhelming and we are more motivated because we know that Fernandinos are with us in our crusade to make San Fernando a smart, green and livable and sustainable city that will be the center of the Pampanga megalopolis,” he said.
For the 42 days, Santiago said the group will be conducting a multi-sectoral meeting among Fernandinos to further discuss their concerns and gather suggestions for the city’s development.
“Aside from barangays, San Fernando is sectoral and we wanted to hear the concerns of all Fernandinos for us to be able to deliver our goal of inclusive development for the city,” he said.
Lazatin also noted that the unity shown by incumbent Pampanga and San Fernando leaders is a positive sign that the administration is on the right track in providing a holistic development for the city.
“We must have a holistic approach for development - one that would benefit the province, the city down to the grassroots, and never for anybody’s personal gain alone,” Lazatin said.