NEWLY-elected Davao City Third District Councilor Nilo "Small" Abellera, Jr., the lone independent candidate who was recently-elected as Davao City councilor, said he is not holding any hard feelings after being delisted by the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) and Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL).
"Sa akoang part, wala ko'y unsa nang storyaha, but ako nangampanya ko on my own, and nagapasalamat ko sa katawhan nga naa sila salig kanako (On my part, I did not mind it at all. I just campaigned on my own, and I thank the public who still trusts me)," Abellera told the media right after the proclamation ceremony at the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, May 11. The son of outgoing councilor Nilo Sr. said that being delisted from the joint party never affected him at all.
Abellera also said he is hoping that the issues being thrown against him, which led to him being removed from the party, would have closure as he is looking forward to working with his fellow councilors.
"Hopefully tanan mawala na kay ang akong pagdaog is dili man ko nangita og away, kon dili nangita ko'g amigo ug ang plano nako muhatag og serbisyo sa katawhan (Hopefully, this will all be gone because my victory is not meant to fight anyone, but to be friends with everyone, as part of my plan to serve the public)," he said.
The re-elected councilor said he vows to push and amend ordinances that would provide livelihood to the public.
He also said he would continue the programs and ordinances that his father had started.
Incumbent Vice Mayor and now elected Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, in a statement issued on November 17, 2022, said that Abellera and incumbent First District Councilor Pamela Librado-Morata were removed from the official slate of HNP-HTL candidates for city councilor in the coming 2022 local elections.
Duterte said, "the party believes that their ideals are not in line with the political party’s vision for Davao City and the Philippines."
Librado-Morata withdrew her candidacy on February 24, 2022.
Meanwhile, Abellera is thankful to his supporters who voted for him despite being an independent candidate.