LAMITAN CITY, Basilan (MindaNews/ 4 October) – For the first time in the political history of this city, a husband and wife tandem is seeking the locality’s top two posts under the ruling Liberal Party.
Incumbent Mayor Roderick Furigay and his wife, Rosita, filed Wednesday their respective certificates of candidacy (COCs) before the city election office.
But Furigay, who is on his last term, is running as vice mayor while Rosita is gunning for mayor.
The couple, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, left their residence in Barangay Malinis in the morning and walked to the city election office passing through the city’s main thoroughfares.
Former Lamitan Mayor Wilfrido Furigay, the uncle of the incumbent mayor, joined them at the election office to show his support to the couple’s candidacy. The elder Furigay, fondly called Fred, was the first elected mayor of the then municipality of Lamitan.
“It was the consensus of the majority of the barangay chairmen to endorse her as the mayoralty candidate,” the incumbent mayor said.
“It is to ensure continuity of the development programs and projects that I have started,” Furigay added, citing this city is still in its infancy stage.
Lamitan finally became a city when the Supreme Court upheld on February 17, 2011 the cityhood of Lamitan and 15 other municipalities in the country.
Rosita said she decided to run for mayor to ensure the continuity of the programs and projects implemented by her husband. (MindaNews)
