Olongapo City – Incumbent Vice Mayor Aquelino “Jong” Cortez, an independent candidate, files his certificate of candidacy as mayor of this city on Sunday, October 6, 2024.
With him were Councilor Kaye Legaspi, who was under the banner Aksyon Demokratiko, as his vice mayor, and Barangay Barretto Chairman Angelito “Gie” Baloy as city councilor.
During his term as city councilor, Cortez major accomplishment is the filing of a resolution banning trucks from traversing the city proper causing heavy road traffic during daytime.
Ordinance No. 22 is “An Ordinance Implementing a Truck Ban within the Major Thoroughfares, Roads, Streets, and Bridges of Olongapo City otherwise known as “The Olongapo City Truck Ban Ordinance”.
The banned type of ‘cargo trucks’ and vehicles refers to those with gross capacity weight of more than 4,500 kilograms and cargo motor vehicles like: cargo trucks, lorries, fuel tankers, liquid carriers, LPG/LNG tankers, cement bulk carriers, long-bed trailers, 10-20-40 footer container vans and head/tractor; Any size/length container vans and heads, heavy equipment like dump trucks, payloaders, cranes, etc.; cargo trucks and vehicles with more than 6 wheels.
This mayoral candidate, who served the public since 2009 and known for being an action man, is now running on a platform, “Bagong Gapo, Aksyon ngayon para sa Magandang Bukas” and to advocate the promotion of Olongapo as a highly urbanized city at par with major highly urbanized cities in Central Luzon, increase promotion of the city as a major tourism destination, and create more job opportunities by boosting the investment climate in the city.
“Gusto kong itatag ang gobyerno na kumakatawan sa Olongapo, malinis, maayos at tahimik, at mabilis ang serbisyo sa taong bayan,” he said.
Councilor Legaspi, on the other hand, a champion of the youth sector, said she will advocate the allocation of social funds to increase health and wellness benefits for the senior citizens and more education and youth improvement programs.
The Cortez and Legaspi tandem is the first to file the certificate of candidacy for mayor and vice mayor positions in this city in line with the 2025 local and national election. (Malou Dungog)
