CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno is endorsing reelected president of the Liga ng mga Barangay Yan Lam Lim as a candidate for the congressional seat representing the city's second district.
Moreno, in his speech at the oath taking of the newly-elected officials of the Association of the Barangay Councils (ABC) last Saturday, said he longs for a governance characterized by teamwork from the national level down to the barangay level.
"Maluoyng Ginoo naa si Congressman Alam Lim (God willing, we will have Congressman Alam Lim)," Moreno told the barangay officials present at the oath taking.
"My message meant to demonstrate, to show, what teamwork can do. Kung naay (if we have) teamwork in national, local, city, and barangay, sayon ug daghan atong mahimo (it will be easy and we can do so much more)," he said.
"Dili man to ingon nga ako syang gi prod (It's not as if I am prodding him) pero mao kana ang scenario (but that is the scenario), kay wala baya mafeel sa Cagayan before ang teamwork kay si Dongkoy raman gabuot sa tanan (Cagayan did not feel teawork before because only Dongkoy has full control of everything) it's not a team if only one man works, that's dominating power," he added.
During his first term as mayor, Moreno did not have the support of the City Council, more so with the barangay officials. But this changed when an almost fresh set of City Councilors were elected in 2016, and most of the opposition councilors jumped ship, making pro-administration councilors the majority bloc of the City Council.
Just this year, Councilor Alam Lim's transfer to Moreno's team meant winning the support of the majority of barangay officials.
Lim got 46 votes during the ABC elections.
"Ang 46 mao ang pondo (The 46 barangay officials is ours) I hope the number increases so everybody joins barangay Kaabag," he said.
"Kung nakadaog si Conrad (If Conrad won, ang ilang tuyo (their intention) is to divide us, to fragment us. Now, we are all systems go, because we have now teamwork," he added.
Lim for his part, refused to comment to the mayor's remarks. He said for now, he will focus on connecting barangays, especially opposition barangays, to Moreno's administration.
"They are welcome to talk to me. I could be their bridge," Lim said.
