Shirley eyes CH position

CEBU, Philippines - Outgoing Talisay City Shirley Belleza hopes that her party-mates would pick her as the city’s public information officer after her term ends next month as they have promised.

Belleza, who is serving her third and final term, said her group has agreed in the past that all graduating councilors would be given appointments at city hall, and that she herself would get the PIO post. Presently, city hall has no PIO, and if it happens, Belleza would be the first.

Outgoing Councilors Ben Abatayo and Arturo Bas, also from the administration, may say goodbye to their jobs as legislators by June 30, but not to city hall, as they were also promised consultancy positions, too.

Outgoing Councilor Aaron Capala, who was one of the two administration candidates who lost in the last elections, has also been promised a consultancy job at city hall.

Association of Barangay Councils president Osmundo Manreal Jr. is the second casualty of the party, but he still has another four months left before the scheduled October barangay elections, if these pushes through. Manreal is on his third and last term, hence, he could no longer run for re-election.

And while the three councilors are still likely to get the promised posts, Belleza’s case may be a little different, analysts said. It is said that the lady councilor, although she has pledged allegiance to her party, has forfeited her chance of being appointed to the post after she supported her husband’s, former Vice Mayor

Aberdovey, candidacy in the last elections.

Aberdovey ran against the administration’s vice mayoralty bet Alan Bucao.

The party leaders may not have indicated what Belleza’s fate would be, but last month’s events may have indicated that she was slowly being junked by her party, said the analysts.

Two months before the elections, the city council, composed of all administration councilors, stripped the lady councilor of all her three committee chairmanships including the majority leader position.

This was reportedly done to render her powerless as she campaigned for her husband, who eventually lost the election to Bucao.

But despite that, Belleza still hopes her party-mates would not judge her for supporting her husband, since it was what any wife would do given the same situation.

She said there is still time for them to meet and decide, and that she hopes they would be united again.  (FREEMAN NEWS)