OFFICIALS of Liloan town in Cebu took their oath of office Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
The oath taking was led by Cebu Fifth District Representative Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco, a native of Liloan, and his wife, Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco.
Poblacion barangay captain Gloria Sanchez administered their oath of office Wednesday night.
Vice Mayor-elect Aljew Frasco and the newly elected councilors of the town also took their oath of office before Garcia-Frasco.
In her message, Garcia-Frasco thanked the people of Liloan for giving her another three years to lead the town, but she said she had accepted President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s offer to be the secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Garcia-Frasco won in the May 9 polls as Liloan mayor with 59,095 votes, or over 86 percent of the total votes cast. Her opponent, retired Judge Ulric Cañete, got 9,580 votes.
She was, however, appointed as the new DOT secretary last May 30. She will assume her DOT chief post after Marcos’ assumption as the 17th president of the Philippines on June 30, 2022.
Garcia-Frasco will replace outgoing DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, while Liloan Vice Mayor-elect Aljew Frasco will succeed her as mayor of Liloan.
“I had the full intention to finish what he (Duke Frasco) had started, apan nakadawat kita og tawag gikan sa atong Presidente...Ang tanan nakaingon nga mingawon mi nimo mayor, pero usa kini ka higayon nga dili angay balibaran kay pinaagi niini, mas daghan pa ang atong matabangan,” she said in her acceptance of the DOT chief post.
She assured the people of Liloan that she will carry with her their “love, support and generosity that you have given me in past six years as your mayor.”
“Ako kining ilantaw isip akong dakong utang kabubut-on. Dili ko kining malimtan. Kanunay akong magpabilin nga Liloanon,” she added.
Congressman Frasco, for his part, assured the people of Liloan that he will continue what he has started in the Fifth District.
Frasco, in the May 9 elections, got a total of 222,288 votes against the 108,596 votes of former representative Ramon “Red” Durano VI.
He said Wednesday night that he will push for the cityhood of Liloan in his second term, stressing it has been his dream since his first term as congressman.
“We have more to do. Maningkamot pa gyud ta. Naa pa tay daghang angayang buhaton. Importante nga in this second term, we will be able to break ground for our new universities, hospital and the new city hall,” he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed on April 27 Republic Act 11751, establishing the Cebu Technological University Liloan and Borbon town campuses.
Under the law, the CTU-Liloan and CTU-Borbon campuses will provide “technical-vocational, undergraduate, and graduate courses within their areas of competency and specialization, pursuant to their mandate.”
The funding for the creation of the campuses will be taken from the annual General Appropriations Act.
Wednesday’s oath taking ceremony in Liloan was attended by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) partylist Representative Raymond Mendoza and Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste, among other officials.