LAGAWE, Ifugao – Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC) gubernatorial bet and former Kiangan Mayor Jonathan Cuyahon lamented the leadership of the New Peoples Army (NPA) Nona del Rosario command for biased, unfair, fabricated and malicious statements against him, saying that such pronouncements are obviously politically motivated with the verdant desire to mislead the province’s electorate in finally selecting him for the position of the local chief executive.
Cuyahon reacted to a statement circulated by the NPA to the various media outfits alleging among others that he does not deserve to become the province’s local chief executive because he cannot even handle the conduct of his business well and that he has no heart for the poor having a number of labor-related cases in his construction business.
“It also took me sometime to move out from the shackles of poverty and what I am now has been the product of hardwork, patience, perseverance and my verdant desire to also serve my provincemates. While it is true that my personality is quite strong, I also have the heart to serve and show to the people a new brand of service,” Cuyahon stressed.
He explained that the labor cases that emanated from his construction business were already settled while the projects that he has been implementing were won through competitive bidding and not through other means as being pictured by our fellow brothers and sisters in the armed movement.
Considering that we experienced poverty when I was growing, the former Kiangan mayor cited that he persevered to move out from the shackles of poverty and when he was elected as Kiangan’s mayor, he was instrumental in the implementation of key infrastructure projects and the enhancement of the delivery of basic services to his constituents for them to be able to feel the presence of government amidst the available meager resources.
As a young and dynamic leader, Cuyahon wants to bring to the provincial government fresh ideas that could help in cascading to the grassroots level the available programs and projects of government in order to curb the proliferation of poverty in the countryside and uplift the majority of the populace from the poverty that they are currently experiencing.
According to him, what is important is to improve the state of infrastructure and provide the people with long-term jobs and sources of livelihood so that they will not be constrained to leave the rural areas and flock to the urban centers in order to be able to have long-term sources of livelihood and employment.
He appealed to the NPA leadership not to mislead the people of Ifugao but instead contribute in whatever way to inform and educate the people for them to become empowered voters during the election day on May 9, 2016.
By HENT