“HE was a hard-working man and a very dedicated political leader,” Adlai Elizaga, son of the former vice-mayor John Lim Elizaga, said of his father.
On Elizaga's last wake on January 16, people remembered the leadership and person of the former vice-mayor.
A lot of those who attended the wake said Elizaga was a generous man; one who did not even expect anything in return. He helped more than he could give.
Supererogatory, some would describe him.
He was very approachable and no man had ever complained of being intimidated with him, others added.
He was a humble man. And this is how everyone remembers him – even up to his death.
Elizaga has seven children. He has an interior designer, a lawyer, a businessman, a journalist, an accountant, a licensed architect and a computer science expert.
“He wasn’t authoritative at all. He was a busy man. And his best legacy was to give us freedom – a choice, kay ga-salig siya sa amo,” Adlai told Sun.Star-Cagayan de Oro.
It was not the former vice mayor’s ambition to join politics. But he was invited by some political leaders like former Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel and Pablo Magtajas as they saw his potentials in politics.
The legacy he brought to the city is “not visible man galing, but it’s the atmosphere that will always be remembered by the people,” Adlai proudly said.
True enough, there wasn’t much of conflict during his term.
“It was really the humor and the aura that drew people to him,” he added.
Elizaga hailed from barangay Coguita in Mambajao town in Camiguin.
As he moved to Cagayan de Oro, he garnered various awards and recognition, mostly from Kiwanis Club of CDO. He became a Kiwanis since 1968.
He was a member of a lot of civic clubs not only in the city but also throughout the country.
As its member, he was an active supporter of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP). The UCCP conducted liturgical services during his last wake at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes on January 16, 2014.
He was one of the directors of the Oro Habitat for Humanity, Inc. He also became the president of the Share Foundation, Inc.
Even in the business community, he was respected by his colleagues and became the president for 16 years of the Petroleum Dealers Association of Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental.
He was elected as the vice president for Mindanao of the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines (VMLP) during his stint as the city's vice-mayor.
True enough, the success he had was overwhelming, yet his feet had always remained on the ground.
He was more than professor, a president, a councilor, a reelected vice mayor, among others.
He was a great man, an epitome of what a politician is that will always be remembered by the people.
In his wake, everyone was teary-eyed but smiling as they remembered one political stalwart whose presence brought light.
Elizaga-approved ordinances
The City Council names the ordinances approved by Elizaga during his term as the vice-mayor. These are:
Ordinance No. 7375-200): An ordinance authorizing the city mayor to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA), covering the implementation of livelihood projects of highlanders/indigenous tribe living in the City, which is funded by the SPDA in the amount of P1 Million, under the terms and conditions stipulated in the Proposed MOA submitted to this Body; Ordinance No. 75717-2000: An ordinance adopting the storm water drainage master plan for Barangay Carmen catchment, this city, as one of the program components of the Philippine Regional Municipal Development Project (PRMDP); Ordinance No. 7557-2000: An ordinance authorizing the city mayor to sign the memorandum of agreement by and among the city government of Cagayan de Oro, the Philippine Tourism Authority, the Department of Tourism regional office no. X, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-regional office no. X, and the provincial government of Misamis Oriental, covering the use, development, management and operation of the gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village in the Malasag reforestation project, located in Barangay Cugman, this city, under the terms and conditions of the memorandum of agreement submitted to this body; Ordinance No. 7558-2000: An ordinance authorizing the city mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the People Helping People Foundation, Cagayan de Oro city (PHPF-CDO), covering the Management and Operation of the Livelihood Training and Productivity Center at the ABC Building, Kauswagan; Ordinance No. 7168-2000: An Ordinance adopting the new official seal of the city of Cagayan de Oro and for other purposes; Ordinance No. 7577-2001: An ordinance authorizing the city mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the National Housing Authority (NHA), covering the development of the Cagayan de Oro resettlement project phase 2 at Calaanan, Canitoan, this city, under the terms and conditions stipulated in the memorandum of agreement submitted to this body; Ordinance No. 7820-2001: An ordinance prohibiting owners or persons in charge of internet cafes and similar establishments from allowing minors to play computer or video games inside their establishments from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm during school days and providing penalty for violation thereof; Ordinance No. 7834-2001: An ordinance authorizing the city mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), represented by Hon. Jose D. Lina Jr., secretary, DILG, covering the implementation of the President’s Bridge Program, Phase II (Austrian-assisted), under the terms and conditions stipulated in the proposed moa submitted to this body; Ordinance No. 7605-2001: An ordinance authorizing the city mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with concerned barangay councils and sponsoring agencies, covering the implementation of the day care service program for pre-schoolers children of the City Social Welfare and Development department, under the terms and conditions of the proposed moa submitted to this body (as proponent). (Alyssa C. Clenuar/MUST Intern)