Today's Punto
Today's Punto
Feature Article
Angeleņos want EdPam back
By Joey Aguilar

Nov 02, 2009


Lahar watch over Abacan with Gen. Diony Ventura and Alex Cauguiran.

ANGELES CITY – Rose Basa-Buan of Barangay Malabañas remembers Sec. Ed Pamintuan as the mayor who led every Angeleño to “stand up” and get this city back on its feet after being severely battered by the eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo.

“Siya ang nagbigay ng pag-asa para bumangon ang lungsod,” she says, recounting the days when ash and lahar almost half-buried the city. Gray was the color and mood of those times.

But like Ate Rose, most Angeleños also believe in EdPam’s leadership.

In 1992, while the city was still reeling from the devastation wrought by Pinatubo and the withdrawal of the US Air Force from the Clark Air Base, EdPam rallied the Angeleños under the battlecry Agyu tamu!, his campaign slogan. 

He led around 20,000 Angeleños in sandbagging the banks of Abacan River as part of his call for “Pala Mo, Buhay Ko” to prevent lahar from destroying houses along the Abacan River. However, rampaging waters swept away the sandbags within minutes.

“Agyu tamu! was not just a slogan. It was actually a three-pronged crisis program that aimed to: deliver basic services to the people; restore the trust and confidence of the people to the city government; and lay down the framework of the medium-term development of the city,” says former City Councilor Alex Cauguiran, now the executive vice president of Clark International Airport Corp.

Cauguiran says there are a lot of reasons why people here like EdPam and why they want him back.

Under Pamintuan’s first three years in office (1992-1995), he noted that the economy doubled compared to the pre-Pinatubo years when jobs and economic activities were mostly dependent on Clark as a US military base.

A new P100-million hospital was built, along with the bridges and other infrastructures.  Angeles City also became a finalist to the greenest and cleanest cities in the country under the Pamintuan administration. The city was also adjudged “best prepared for disaster” with two other highly urbanized cities.

He says Agyu Tamu has indeed inspired many to be strong, to strive and work harder.


CHAMPIONS


When city athletes were king, sans P813M sports complex.

It was also during the Pamintuan administration that Angeles City bagged the overall championship for two consecutive years the prestigious Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association annual sports meet.

“Kasaya tamu kanita dyang dadalan tamung kasakitan. Ding players talagang akit mu ing karelang pamagpursigi para manyambut (We were happy then though we’re experiencing some difficulties. You could see the players’ determination to win),” says EdPam during the opening of the Office of External Affairs sub-office in Barangay Balibago recently.

Aside from the annual inter-barangay baketball tournament, a number of sports competitions in the city like table tennis, volleyball and chess tournaments were also staged regularly during the Fiestang Kuliat celebration in October.

“May goal kasing ninanasang makuha ang isang atleta, like gusto niyang magchampion sa isang competition. Ngayon, kung mawala yang mga tournaments na yan, natural mawawalan na rin ng gana ang atletang magpursige,(Athletes have goals to aspire for, like winning a championship. If tournaments are not held, the athletes would naturally lose their drive to train and do their best),” says a group of athletes interviewed by Punto.

EdPam also faced various problems that hounded Angeles City. These include: challenges of resettling tens of thousands of people who were displaced by Pinatubo’s eruption, restoring vital and basic services like health care with the city hospital literally gobbled up by lahar, rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure including all but one of the bridges that connected the city to its neighbors, resuscitating a dying economy, among myriad others.

But the local folk and the private sector were there to help him.


SUPPORT AND VOLUNTEERS


Rededication of new Angeles City hospital.

Now, with the advent of modern technology, support for EdPam doesn’t only come from uttered words, text messages, speeches and manifesto. Various individuals added him as a friend in Facebook, a social networking site, and sent messages expressing their support to his mayoralty bid.

In fact, some of them have created an account “agyutamuvolunteers” where anyone could post reactions or comments to his photos and recent activities that are published in Facebook. Others would simply click the word “like” as a way of telling “friends” that he or she favors the message posted by the user.

Even in informal interviews and surveys, at least nine out of 10 people favor EdPam over Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno and Balibago Barangay Captain Rodelio “Tony” Mamac.


Early greening program led by EdPam.

“Nasubok kasi si EdPam noong panahong nasa delubyo ang buong lungsod dahil sa pagputok ng Mt. Pinatubo,(EdPam was tried and tested at the time of the devastations caused by Mt. Pinatubo) ” says one Angeles City Hall employee who refused to be named for fear of reprisal.

“Hindi nadi-delay ang sweldo ng mga manggagawa sa City Hall nung siya ang mayor. Lahat masaya, (Salaries at city hall were never delayed when he was mayor. Everybody was happy)” he adds.

Now, for most Angeleños, it appears that EdPam is headed where he started. Even as they know that he will be put to greater tests by numerous challenges along the way, they believe EdPam would pass all these with flying colors.



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