Sangil: More about Pampanga mayors

MACABEBE Mayor Bobong Flores has the look of a movie star. He is tall and consistently well dressed. A dapper like a true Kapampangan. In few instances we met, most often at a food chain at SM malls in San Fernando, he was always well groomed, with his semi-wavy salt and pepper hair looking greased. Like his father Domingo who served long years as town mayor, Bobong also was elected many times as alkalde than any of the mayors in Pampanga. His last outing carried the plot of a television drama as he faced in the mayoral race his own nephew. The relatives have been squaring off in the town's political arena since his rich younger sister Annette was elected mayor. In short, Macabebe is a Flores town, and the siblings are slugging among themselves. Bobong has a powerful life story. If only the late Espiridion Laxamana, older brother of actor Tony Ferrer is alive today, his film outfit Tagalog Ilang Ilang Production surely will score a box office hit if the Floreses' life story will be filmed. The Laxas are from Macabebe.

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There is another Flores who served well his constituency. Minalin Mayor Edgar Flores is a chip of the old block. His father Francisco aka Ansing became mayor from 1968 until 1986. The old man Flores focused his efforts in the emancipation of the town farmers. He was a honest and an incorruptible politician. He was so successful in the governance of the town. He was so well loved and respected. It became easy for Edgar to win elections because of the father's legacy. Up to now the good memories among town mates lingers, particularly to the older generation. Reaping the rewards is Edgar as he was unbeatable in all his outings in the mayoral races, like his father before him. That's unprecedented. The honesty of the father was also in Edgar's DNA. He was first elected in 2001 and completed three terms in 2010. After a three year rest, he answered again the clamor of his cabalen and defeated the seating Mayor Katoy Naguit in the 2013 mayoral race. Mayor Edgar can be credited to so many things. It can't be said that the landlocked town boomed under his watch, but progress steadily grew.

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Mayor Teddy Tumang is the man behind Mexico's success and countless achievements. He is purpose driven and passionate about his work. He is the man who gave his heart and self for the love and service to his fellow Mexicanos. Progress of the town is accelerating and given few more years it will become a city, by his calculations. The investment keeps pouring in. The town is witnessing business activities never witnessed before. The town's unprecedented growth under his watch made him unbeaten in his many political outings.

Only two years as a village chieftain and still warming his seat and was still trying to learn ropes, so to speak, when he join the mayoral race in 2004 and beat then incumbent Mayor Ernesto Punzalan. He served for three terms. He run for a seat in the provincial board and won as an independent which was quite a feat. After three years at the provincial Capitol, he reclaimed his seat at the municipio after beating the incumbent Roy Manalastas.

In few times I sat down with him for coffee, I found him to be virtuous, so nice and generous. He said it is the act of giving that is the most deeply connected to his happiness. That's how Mayor Teddy Tumang is best described. He is happy serving his people, and in return his constituency are happy.

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Mayor Jing Capil was elected the town executive at the time that the former community which I used to describe as lethargic is growing by leaps and bounds. The big property developers of the country are already making investments in Porac, like the Ayalas and Sy family. It's so strategically located, being halfway between Clark Freeport and Subic Freeport. Capil was a barangay captain of Manibaug when he threw his hat in the most recent local elections in a three cornered mayoral race. He is a giant slayer. He skewered two of the most popular family names in Porac politics, namely Vice Mayor Dexter David and former Pampanga Governor Mark Lapid. Capil's is called by townspeople as the medicine man. He is into manufacture of drugs,the good kind of course. He handed medicines for free to his cabalens.