Angeles mayor: 'Vice mayor has no perspective, resorts to propaganda'

ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan lashed out on Tuesday at this city's vice mayor and the lone opposition councilor, saying "they resort to fabrication of stories, too much propaganda and politicking" regarding their opposition to the proposed public cemetery and fountain at the heritage district.

In a phone interview, Pamintuan added that this early, people are already questioning the style of governance of Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting and Councilor Carmelo "Pogi" Lazatin.

"The vice-mayor doesn't have perspective. She keeps talking without making the necessary research and study. Cabigting is politicking too early," said Pamintuan.

He said the area in Barangay Sapa Libutad visited by Cabigting and Lazatin over the weekend is not the lot donated by the Ayson family for a public cemetery. He added that it’s a materials recovery facility (MRF) and “there is no quarrying activity in the area” as alleged by Cabigting.

Cabigting and Lazatin are up in arms against the plan of the city government to build a P16 million fountain near the Museo Ning Angeles in Barangay Sto. Rosario and the P110 million public cemetery in Sapa Libutad. They described the budget for each project as “indecent and exorbitant.”

Pamintuan said the planned public cemetery “is for the present and future generations” of Pampanga’s only highly urbanized city.

He said that the lot donated for the cemetery “is too small and had been eroded.” He added that the city will spend P30 million to apply “engineering intervention” on the lot to make it suitable for a public cemetery.

In the report submitted by City Engr. Donato Dizon, it shows that P10 million will be used to purchase the lot for the public cemetery.

Pamintuan said the cemetery will have modern amenities such as columbarium and crematorium, as well as four chapels and other amenities in the long desired public cemetery.

“There will be thousands of columbarium for the benefit of many generations to come,” said Pamintuan. A columbarium is a place for the respectful public storage of an urn. A crematorium is a machine in which the cremation of a body takes place.

Pamintuan said the dearly departed loved ones of their constituents will be transferred to the columbarium after five years.

Pamintuan said that the poor will only spend as low as P3,000 for the final resting place of a member of their family. He described the planned project as a “RollsRoyce” of a memorial parks.

The mayor said the P25 million for the cemetery pushed by Cabigting “is for an old-style and small memorial park.”

Pamintuan warned Cabigting, saying “the public and barangay captains will be more angry to her if she doesn’t sign the ratification” approved last week in 10-1 vote. He said “the vice mayor doesn’t vote and she only votes in case of a tie.” The number eight world mayor added “the vote in the council was 10-1 and they gave prominence to one? Even those who are operating private memorial parks a funeral parlor in the city, like Councilors Bryan [Nepomuceno] and Alex Indiongco are in favor of a respectable final and eternal resting place of the poor and the pauper people and they [Cabigting and Lazatin] want to deny them this?”

Under the ratification, Pamintuan is planning to loan P287,710,000 million to the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). Aside from the fountain and cemetery, the city government will use the amount for three other projects: barangay Halls, P28 million; Pampang public market, P50 million; and command center, P50 million.

Asked about the fountain, Pamintuan said “the cost of fountains ranges from P30 to P60 million each.”

As to the claim of Cabigting that the funds be used instead for education and health, Pamintuan stressed that such programs are in place and well-funded. Angeleños had reportedly clamored for a public cemetery since 1988.

“Survey said…”

Pamintuan downplayed the chances of Cabigting to win if she decides to run for mayor in 2016. He added that the three-term vice-mayor “only gets 2.7 percent” in a recent survey for mayor.

“The vice-mayor used to get nine percent but it went down further. It will continue to go down if she doesn’t stop lying. She may get one percent soon,” said Pamintuan.

The two-term mayor said Cabigting is “way lower” in the survey compared to Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid, who earlier declared his intention to seek this city’s mayoralty post.

Pamintuan said Lapid is on second place in the same survey. He added he had topped the survey but he did not mention the exact percentage of himself and Lapid.

Cabigting earlier said “I would either rest (not seek a post) or run for mayor in 2016,” when asked about her future political plans. (Joey Pavia/Contributor)

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