Ex-Minglanilla mayor dies at 77

CEBU, Philippines - Former Minglanilla mayor and incumbent municipal councilor Eduardo Ma. Selma passed away yesterday morning at Chong Hua Hospital.

According to Vice Mayor Robert John "Jojo" Selma, his father died of complications due to pneumonia. He was 77.

His remains will be brought to Cosmopolitan Nivel Hills, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

Prior to his death, the former mayor was taken to the hospital last Sunday due to difficulty of breathing, said municipal mayor Elanito "Lani" Alidon Peña.

Peña said the former mayor had great contributions to the municipality.  One of Selma's dream projects is the development of a joint 100-hectare reclamation project along two coastal barangays that will be developed into an industrial park.

The project, dubbed as the "Minglanilla Reclamation and Industrial Park," is the first public-private-partnership (PPP) of this type in the country.

Selma once said realization of the reclamation project will most likely double the town's current P100 million yearly income.

Selma was appointed mayor in 1972 during the time of then president Ferdinand Marcos. He was elected as municipal mayor in 1979.

When his term as mayor expired in 2013, he ran as councilor and won. He was the brother-in-law of former Cebu congressman Eduardo Gullas.   (FREEMAN)