GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 18 August) – Mayor Leonard Escobillo of the mineral resource-rich town of Tampakan has been re-elected as president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines – South Cotabato (LMP South Cotabato) chapter.
He vowed the league’s full support to eradicate poverty and enhance education initiatives in line with the thrusts of the South Cotabato provincial government, among others.
Escobillo, a registered nurse, thanked his fellow mayors for electing him again as LMP-South Cotabato chapter president.
He called for a strong collaboration among municipal governments in improving the lives of their constituents, along with the provincial government and agencies of the national government.
Escobillo is on his third and last term as mayor of Tampakan, which hosts the largest known undeveloped copper and gold minefield in Southeast Asia and one of the largest of its kind in the world.
In September 2022, Escobillo ordered the revocation of the business permit of Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) issued by the mayor’s office for alleged fraud and misrepresentation of its activities. The local government had demanded P397 million worth of accumulated taxes and surcharges from SMI, developer of the Tampakan project. About a year later, SMI acquired a business permit after the Court of Tax Appeals issued a ruling in favor of the company.
The new set of LMP-South Cotabato officers were elected last Friday and were sworn into office by South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., also the president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines.
“Let us help each other in building a more prosperous and stronger South Cotabato,” Tamayo said in Filipino.
Tamayo stressed that expanding livelihood opportunities and improving access to education are vital steps toward building a stronger and more prosperous province.
The other LMP-South Cotabato officers are mayors Clemente Fedoc of Norala as vice president; Timee JoyTorres-Gonzales of Tantangan as secretary; Keo Dayle Tuan of Tboli as treasurer; Antonio Fungan Jr. of Lake Sebu as auditor; and Sulpicio Villalobos of Sto. Niño as public relations officer.
Its Board of Directors is composed of Mayors Pedro Matinong Jr of Surallah, Bernie Palencia of Polomolok, Albert Palencia of Banga, Romeo Tamayo of of Tupi, and Eliordo Ogena of Koronadal.
The new set of LMP-South Cotabato officers will serve until 2028.
A statement from the provincial Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the LMP serves as a unifying body for all municipal mayors across the Philippines, fostering cooperation in implementing development programs and policies that benefit local communities.
DILG South Cotabato provincial director Hayd-Ali Suwaib and Louienard Labarte, representative of the LMP national secretariat, witnessed the election and oathtaking. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
