Thursday, December 3, 2009

Auring, Tony to switch places

GOVERNOR Aurora “Auring” Cerilles said she is looking forward to returning to her seat at the House of Representatives in next year’s polls, having had served for one term in the 11th Congress.

Her vacated position will be taken by husband, Rep. Antonio “Tony” Cerilles, who is also set to finish his third term next year and wants to render executive service to the probnsiyanos.

The Cerilles couple have announced last Saturday their respective intentions to media in a gathering inside their residence few hours after they filed their certificates of candidacy at the Comelec office.

Auring is running under the Lakas-Kampi CMD coalition while Tony is from the Nationalists People’s Coalition of Danding Cojuangco, chairman of San Miguel Corp. and NPC's chairman emeritus.

With the couple are their slate in the provincial board: incumbents Ramon “Doki” Blancia Jr., Flaviano “Nonong” Fucoy Jr., Ernesto Mondarte, Rogelio Saniel and newcomer Pepito “Dodong” Degamo, outgoing provincial administrator, for the first district.

Incumbent Dinas mayor Wilfredo “Fred” Asoy, Miguelito “Nonoy” Ocapan, Edward “Dodong” Pintac, Vicente “Dodo” Cajeta and Eriberto “Ribe” Sumalinog will also run for the provincial board in the second district.

Tony Cerilles’ bet for vice governor is senior board member Juan “John” Regala, also a third termer and former civil-military officer of the 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division.

Auring once served as a representative of the second district from 1998 to 2001 under the leadership of then Speaker Manny Villar Jr. where she held the tourism committee as vice chairperson and as deputy speaker of the appropriations committee.

In her term, Cerilles filed 28 local measures and seven were acted into law, which included those that established the national high schools in Dimataling, Dinas, Vincenzo Sagun, and the law converting the JH Cerilles Polytechnic College in San Miguel into a state college and that which created a separate engineering district in the second district.

Meanwhile, Tony Cerilles said there will be a continuation of honest and conscientious service to Zambosurians in his term where he will continue to provide the needed access to support infrastructures to remote villages and maintain the established linkage with other government and non-government groups for smooth implementation of projects in the province.

As an environmentalist and former secretary of the DENR, the congressman added that he will strongly support the national government’s programs on agriculture and provide livelihood projects and employment opportunities for young professionals.

REPORT BY MICHAEL MEDINA