This developed as some 105 newly elected city mayors in the country, de facto members of the City Mayors League of the Philippines (CMLP), met in a two-day meeting last July 20-21 at the Manila Hotel.
Even as they engaged in the light banter, some were even seen ribbing the others for managing to survive the House without having as much as authorized a single statute.
They, however, quipped that after making the big switch they probably can acquit themselves better, even outdo themselves, and perform better as mayors.
What started initially as a small joke ended with the former solons forming the "Congressmen-to-Mayors League" naming Caloocan City Mayor Enrico "Recom" Echiverri as its first ever president.
Echiverri, also the elected vice president of the CMLP, said their "common origin" (the House of Representatives) and shared aspirations prompted them, former lawmakers, to unite forces and push initiatives for economic growth in their respective cities. He said his colleagues will initially forge sister cityhood agreement among themselves to strengthen their ties and help one another in pushing each other’s local economies.
"With the creation of the league, we hope to promote each other’s local and native products, sell at ‘bagsak presyo’ (discounted prices) including other areas, even in the provinces. These efforts, we believe, will help spur local economic growth with the additional incomes this will create," Echiverri said.
The former congressmen also elected Alaminos City (Pangasinan) Mayor Hernani "Nani" Braganza as the group’s vice president and Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat as secretary general.
Elected treasurer was Calamba City Mayor Joaquin Chipeco Jr. and Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim, public relations officer. Marikina Mayor Ma. Lourdes Fernando was adopted as honorary member and was unanimously made the league’s muse. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo "Rod" Duterte was chosen the group’s chairman.
Also included in the group were City Mayors Angelito Sarmiento, San Jose del Monte City (Bulacan); James "Bong" Gordon, Olongapo City; Amadeo Perez (Manaoag, Pangasinan), Oscar Rodriguez, San Fernando City (Pampanga); Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian, Valenzuela City and Neptali "Boyet" Gonzales Jr., Mandaluyong City.
Finding themselves seeing familiar faces from the last Congress made the new local chief executives feel that nothing really much has changed.
"Parang di naman tayo nagbago dito, ah," they chorushed as they realized a number of them rubbed elbows in the last Congress.