Thankful. Mayor Morales thanks Gov. Pineda and Cong. Lazatin for their support to Mabalacat City.
Photo by Ric Gonzales
MABALACAT, Pampanga – “By the grace of God, by the sovereign will of the people, we are now a city!”
So practised last Wednesday Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales of the opening spiel of what could be the most important speech of is his life – the declaration of Mabalacat City – in Monday’s flag-raising ceremony.
The plebiscite is on Saturday – July 21 – yet, but Morales cocksureness of “an overwhelming Yes” vote is well-placed.
“Hundreds of happy, chanting residents packed all sorts of vehicles and joined our miting de avance around town culminating at the jampacked Xevera clubhouse,” Morales told an assembled group of mediamen.
“We met on the road the oppositor to cityhood, Vice Mayor Noel Castro, having his own motorcade by his lonesome. If that is not a clear indication of the vote on Saturday, I don’t know what is,” a confident Morales said.
No credible, much less considerable opposition to the Mabalacat cityhood was raised during the campaign that started July 5.
Even Castro was a signatory to the sangguniang bayan resolution that sought the first class municipality’s transformation into a component city. Castro laso participated in the lobbying during the House and Senate deliberations on the cityhood resolutions, authored by 1st District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin.
Thus, Castro made the singular object of criticism of the pro-cityhood forces during the campaign.
“The ayes have it,” said Diosdado Pangilinan, chair of the Mabalacat Water District and interim president of the Mabalacat Business Club.
“The people well understand the benefits a Mabalacat City will bring, in terms of addition to the IRA (internal revenue allotment) befitting cities, in terms of more programs and projects,” he added.
“The people are too intelligent to fall for the misinformation and lies bandied about by Castro of higher taxes cityhood was supposed to bring.”
Industrial and business establishments in Mabalacat, from the Trust International Paper Corp. to housing development giant Hausland, to Sogo Hotel down to the stalls of Marina and Dau Mart as well as Puregold and Jenra supermarkets united with the residents in campaigning for a Yes vote in the plebiscite.
Gov. Lilia G. Pineda openly endorsed cityhood and went out of her way to meet Wednesday evening with all the barangay leaders to assure them of the continuing support of the Capitol after Mabalacat became a city.
This, to dispel misinformation that once turned into a city, Mabalacat would be deprived of fund allotment from the provincial government.
“Katulad lang ng San Fernando kung saan patuloy ang suporta ng Kapitolyo, ganundin pag siyudad na ang Mabalacat, pati na ang sarili kong suporta,” the governor told her audience who responded with thunderous applause.
“It’s all over but the counting. We are now a city,” Morales said.
