CEBU, Philippines - Though he is a lawyer by profession, Councilor Edgardo Labella is very willing to accept the challenge in assuming the chairmanship of the committee on agriculture, left vacant by then Councilor Hilario Davide III, so he could attend to the needs of farmers.
Councilor Arsenio Pacaña had proposed a resolution nominating the former director of the Ombudsman Visayas to be the one to fill up the chairmanship of the said committee.
Pacaña explained that the committee on agriculture and rural development shall not be taken for granted because agriculture is an essential factor in the development of the City of Cebu, especially in the mountain barangays where the primary source of livelihood is farming and cultivation of crops.
According to Pacaña, the recent resignation of Davide as councilor after he was appointed provincial chairman of the Liberal Party in Cebu has greatly impaired the programs envisioned by the committee that he used to chair.
Labella is vice chairman of the committee and had actively assisted Davide in formulating programs for the benefit of the farmers.
Some other city councilors described Labella to be fit for the position because despite being a lawyer, Labella is also very active in farming.
Labella who is seeking reelection, and the chairman of the committee on laws of the Cebu City Council, said that almost every weekend he visits his farm in Bohol. — Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV (FREEMAN NEWS)