(RIGHT MOVE. Businessman Irineo “Bong” Alvaro makes the right move on chessboard and in endorsing Angeles City mayoral candidate Alex Cauguiran during the official opening of the Angeles Chess Club Tournament at the SM Clark recently. Contributed Photo)
ANGELES CTY – Mayoralty candidate Alexander Cauguiran got a big boost recently after business leader Irineo “Bong” Alvaro, Jr. endorsed him as the next mayor of this chartered city.
“We must choose the best to lead us in this age of expansion and growth,” Alvaro said of his support to the former president-CEO of the Clark International Airport Corp., and his “comrade in the parliament of the streets” in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship.
Alvaro announced his endorsement during the opening of the annual chess tournament of the Angeles City Chess Club sponsored by Alvaro’s Bridges of Benevolent Initiatives Foundation (BBIF) held at the SM City Clark over the weekend.
Cauguiran was the special guest as he opened the tournament by pushing the first move in a ceremonial chess game with Alvaro.
At the sidelines, Alvaro said he believes Cauguiran is the most capable among the candidates vying for the mayoral seat of this city.
“Choosing between the three, Bryan (Nepomuceno) is a young and brilliant lawyer, but I believe he needs more maturity in facing the challenges of a fast-rising city like Angeles. The young (Pogi) Lazatin has just entered the political arena and as a neophyte councilor, it may be wiser for him to consider gaining more experience first, especially in the realm of LGU management,” Alvaro noted.
“Give them a little time, these two (Pogi and Byran) will be the best choices in the future,” he added.
“I have worked with Alex in the past, even as early as our activist days during the Marcos regime. He has led people to rise above some of the most challenging times imaginable. So, I know that he has the passion and the capability to lead Angeles City forward into the future,” Alvaro stressed.
“Cauguiran’s multi-generational experience in civil service, up to the tempering he underwent under Mayor Pamintuan is a cut above the rest,” he added.
Best equipped
Alvaro believes Cauguiran is “unquestionably the most equipped to take the helm of the city.”
He said, “Alex may not have the same name and capital compared to Lazatin and Nepomuceno, but he is far and above them in terms of ability and passion to serve our city,” he pointed out.
Cauguiran, a longtime partner and action man of Pamintuan, has displayed his management acumen during his short stint as president of the Clark International Airport Corp., during which “the airport grew by leaps and bounds in terms of flight and passenger activities and financial viability.”
According to Alvaro, this city is now at the threshold of economic growth never before seen, and the city needs a strong, determined and tested leader to steer the ship.
“As captain of the ship, Alex is the most capable, even from a business standpoint. As champion of the ordinary people, he has no peer among the contenders,” he said.
Pamintuan, the outgoing mayor, chose to endorse current Vice Mayor Bryan Nepomuceno, allegedly because Cauguiran “has no chances of winning” against the more famous and wealthy political families.
“It would have been great if all the three of us (Alvaro, Cauguiran, and Pamintuan) could have banded together in this fight. After all, we agreed long ago, to make it our mission to change the political landscape of the city from the dominance of the rich families, to a city that is truly for everyone,” he said.
“No matter the chances of Alex, which I will help enhance in whatever way, I am with him not only because of our friendship but mostly for the future of Angeles being faced with the humungous growth challenges as a major city in the Metro Clark’s current exponential growth,” Alvaro added.
