by Sentinel Times Staff October 21, 2018 Alcala arrives at the new Lucena city government complex to file his candidacy accompanie...
October 21, 2018
Alcala arrives at the new Lucena city government complex to file his candidacy accompanied by his family, friends and supporters. (Photo by Sentinel Times Staff)
LUCENA CITY – Quezon 2nd district Congressman Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala is gunning for the political fight of his life as he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for governor of the province in the May 13, 2019 elections.
He filed his COC at the provincial election office at the new city government complex on Monday, Oct. 15 at around 11AM accompanied by some members of his family, political allies and supporters, friends and well-wishers. He was the ninth filer in the list of provincial candidates who filed their COC which began on Oct. 11 for next year’s national and local elections.
The congressman’s sister, Siony, who served as his chief of staff in Congress, and eldest daughter, Annalou, assisted him in filing his election documents while Sariaya mayor Marcelo Gayeta and vice mayor Alex Tolentino and an excited throng look on along with the local print and broadcast media who trained their mobile phone cameras on Alcala who was beaming at the crowd and the staff of the provincial election office led by Robert Lozano who was checking on the sufficiency of the details of Alcala’s COC.
“Wala akong kalaban at magsasara na itong Comelec pagkatapos kong magfile,” Alcala cracked a joke which elicited laughter from the crowd while adding nonchalantly that it would be better if they filed at the same time with 3rd district Cong. Danilo Suarez, his close gubernatorial rival who filed on the last day of filing for COC on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Alcala, 66, is in his 2nd term as member of the House of Representatives after having been a vice governor, a board member and a long time barangay chairman of Bgy. Cotta in this city. He is running under the administration party Pilipino Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan and his Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance was signed by the party president Rogelio Garcia.
He is up against a well-endowed political dynasty in Quezon province who has been lording it over in the province’ Bondoc Penisula for over 2 decades and a scion has been the provincial governor for over 8 yrs., another is provincial board member of the 3rd district, still another is vice mayor of Unisan and a partylist representative for a daughter in law.
“Wala akong babasaging alkansiya kumpara sa kanya pero kailangan nilang ipaliwanag ang pinanggagalingan ng kanilang alkansiya at kailangan malaman at may pamilian ang taumbayan ng Quezon,” Alcala said in one of his many interviews with the local media referring to the statement made by Cong. Suarez during a press conference several months ago: “Baka magkabasagan kami ng alkansiya” obviously referring to their own personal funds.
Kulit, as he is simply and fondly called by his close friends and associates, has gone about his routine work as member of the House of Representatives mostly bringing various development programs and projects for his district in infrastructures, education, health, livelihood.
With the assumption of President Rodrigo Duterte, Alcala was deprived of his congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund by then House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez when he remained as member of the Liberal Party. But he was able to sustain various assistance to his constituents in his district which included allocation of P3 million in medical, burial and educational assistance thru the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development; P10.2 million in the Dept. of Health; P2 million thru Technical and Educational Skills Development Authority for various vocational courses such as breadmaking, cake baking, pastries making, automotive, welding and beauty care; P2 million thru Dept. of Labor and Employment and P12.8 million through Commission on Higher Education with his Tulong-Dunong program which benefited 2,842 grantees mostly from his district.
There were a total of 1,2015 scholars given financial assistance in coordination with CHED and DSWD and was able to build schoolbuilding projects worth P80 million thru the support of PAGCOR during his first term as a congressman. Since his 2nd term as congressman, from July 2016 to May this year, a total of 3,353 beneficiaries were given educational, medical and burial assistance in his district.
A total of P10.5 million funds for 2018 are allocated for various hospitals for medical assistance and hospitalizations such as in Phil. Heath Center, Phil. Lung Center, Quezon Medical Center, Phil. Orthopedic Center, San Pablo District Hospital, among others.
For infrastructure projects in his district, Alcala was able to allocate a total of P530.4 million in his one year in office alone which included asphalt overlay of San Juan-Candelaria Bolboc Road; rehabilitation and upgrading of Lucena-Tayabas-Mauban port road; widening of Daang Maharlika; widening of Lucena Cotta port road; construction of Lucena Diversion Talao-Talao port road and concreting of Silangang Mayao road, among others.
From LP to PDP-Laban
Last Aug. 30, a political event billed as Basic Membership Seminar and Orientation on Federalism and Oath-taking Ceremony for PDP-Laban, Kulit switched his political party from the Liberal Party to PDP-Laban and was sworn as member by its national president, Atty. Rogelio Garcia, along with over a thousand other provincial, municipal and barangay officials and political aspirants in the province.
“Tayo’y nasa-PDP-Laban ngayon dahil ako’y naniniwala na mas mabibiyayaan tayo sa lalawigan ng Quezon kung malapit tayo at nasa ilalim ng administrasyong Rody Duterte at sa pamunuan ni Atty. Rogelio Garcia sa partido ng administrasyon ay matutupad natin ang ating pangarap na mas maunlad na lalawigan kaysa sa kasalukuyan,” said Alcala, the former LP-Quezon provincial chairman on the event held at the jampacked multipurpose covered court in Bgy. Cotta here.
Those who attended the day-long event were provincial 2nd district board members Hermilando Alcala Jr., Elizabeth Sio, Association of Barangay Chairmen provincial federation president Ireneo Boongaling, Sariaya mayor Marcelo Gayeta and his vice mayor Alex Tolentino, San Francisco mayor Joselito Alega, Dolores vice mayor Pipay Mendoza, Tiaong vice mayor Romano Castillo, Lucena city councillor Boyet Alejandrino, Talao-talao barangay chairman Reil Briones, among others.
Alcala said he is leaving it all to the electorate of Quezon province to decide in the May 2019 elections if they want reforms and transparency in the provincial government or more of the same dubious transactions and operations in the hands of the Suarezes.
Cong. Alcala is welcomed in an official ceremonial event in his district. (Photo by Sentinel Times Staff)
Quezon 2nd Dist. Cong. Kulit Alcala files his COC for governor at the provincial election office. (Photo by Sentinel Times Staff)
Alcala arrives at the new Lucena city government complex to file his candidacy accompanied by his family, friends and supporters. (Photo by Sentinel Times Staff)
LUCENA CITY – Quezon 2nd district Congressman Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala is gunning for the political fight of his life as he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for governor of the province in the May 13, 2019 elections.
He filed his COC at the provincial election office at the new city government complex on Monday, Oct. 15 at around 11AM accompanied by some members of his family, political allies and supporters, friends and well-wishers. He was the ninth filer in the list of provincial candidates who filed their COC which began on Oct. 11 for next year’s national and local elections.
The congressman’s sister, Siony, who served as his chief of staff in Congress, and eldest daughter, Annalou, assisted him in filing his election documents while Sariaya mayor Marcelo Gayeta and vice mayor Alex Tolentino and an excited throng look on along with the local print and broadcast media who trained their mobile phone cameras on Alcala who was beaming at the crowd and the staff of the provincial election office led by Robert Lozano who was checking on the sufficiency of the details of Alcala’s COC.
“Wala akong kalaban at magsasara na itong Comelec pagkatapos kong magfile,” Alcala cracked a joke which elicited laughter from the crowd while adding nonchalantly that it would be better if they filed at the same time with 3rd district Cong. Danilo Suarez, his close gubernatorial rival who filed on the last day of filing for COC on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Alcala, 66, is in his 2nd term as member of the House of Representatives after having been a vice governor, a board member and a long time barangay chairman of Bgy. Cotta in this city. He is running under the administration party Pilipino Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan and his Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance was signed by the party president Rogelio Garcia.
He is up against a well-endowed political dynasty in Quezon province who has been lording it over in the province’ Bondoc Penisula for over 2 decades and a scion has been the provincial governor for over 8 yrs., another is provincial board member of the 3rd district, still another is vice mayor of Unisan and a partylist representative for a daughter in law.
“Wala akong babasaging alkansiya kumpara sa kanya pero kailangan nilang ipaliwanag ang pinanggagalingan ng kanilang alkansiya at kailangan malaman at may pamilian ang taumbayan ng Quezon,” Alcala said in one of his many interviews with the local media referring to the statement made by Cong. Suarez during a press conference several months ago: “Baka magkabasagan kami ng alkansiya” obviously referring to their own personal funds.
Kulit as congressman
Kulit, as he is simply and fondly called by his close friends and associates, has gone about his routine work as member of the House of Representatives mostly bringing various development programs and projects for his district in infrastructures, education, health, livelihood.
With the assumption of President Rodrigo Duterte, Alcala was deprived of his congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund by then House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez when he remained as member of the Liberal Party. But he was able to sustain various assistance to his constituents in his district which included allocation of P3 million in medical, burial and educational assistance thru the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development; P10.2 million in the Dept. of Health; P2 million thru Technical and Educational Skills Development Authority for various vocational courses such as breadmaking, cake baking, pastries making, automotive, welding and beauty care; P2 million thru Dept. of Labor and Employment and P12.8 million through Commission on Higher Education with his Tulong-Dunong program which benefited 2,842 grantees mostly from his district.
There were a total of 1,2015 scholars given financial assistance in coordination with CHED and DSWD and was able to build schoolbuilding projects worth P80 million thru the support of PAGCOR during his first term as a congressman. Since his 2nd term as congressman, from July 2016 to May this year, a total of 3,353 beneficiaries were given educational, medical and burial assistance in his district.
A total of P10.5 million funds for 2018 are allocated for various hospitals for medical assistance and hospitalizations such as in Phil. Heath Center, Phil. Lung Center, Quezon Medical Center, Phil. Orthopedic Center, San Pablo District Hospital, among others.
For infrastructure projects in his district, Alcala was able to allocate a total of P530.4 million in his one year in office alone which included asphalt overlay of San Juan-Candelaria Bolboc Road; rehabilitation and upgrading of Lucena-Tayabas-Mauban port road; widening of Daang Maharlika; widening of Lucena Cotta port road; construction of Lucena Diversion Talao-Talao port road and concreting of Silangang Mayao road, among others.
From LP to PDP-Laban
Last Aug. 30, a political event billed as Basic Membership Seminar and Orientation on Federalism and Oath-taking Ceremony for PDP-Laban, Kulit switched his political party from the Liberal Party to PDP-Laban and was sworn as member by its national president, Atty. Rogelio Garcia, along with over a thousand other provincial, municipal and barangay officials and political aspirants in the province.
“Tayo’y nasa-PDP-Laban ngayon dahil ako’y naniniwala na mas mabibiyayaan tayo sa lalawigan ng Quezon kung malapit tayo at nasa ilalim ng administrasyong Rody Duterte at sa pamunuan ni Atty. Rogelio Garcia sa partido ng administrasyon ay matutupad natin ang ating pangarap na mas maunlad na lalawigan kaysa sa kasalukuyan,” said Alcala, the former LP-Quezon provincial chairman on the event held at the jampacked multipurpose covered court in Bgy. Cotta here.
Those who attended the day-long event were provincial 2nd district board members Hermilando Alcala Jr., Elizabeth Sio, Association of Barangay Chairmen provincial federation president Ireneo Boongaling, Sariaya mayor Marcelo Gayeta and his vice mayor Alex Tolentino, San Francisco mayor Joselito Alega, Dolores vice mayor Pipay Mendoza, Tiaong vice mayor Romano Castillo, Lucena city councillor Boyet Alejandrino, Talao-talao barangay chairman Reil Briones, among others.
Alcala said he is leaving it all to the electorate of Quezon province to decide in the May 2019 elections if they want reforms and transparency in the provincial government or more of the same dubious transactions and operations in the hands of the Suarezes.
Cong. Alcala is welcomed in an official ceremonial event in his district. (Photo by Sentinel Times Staff)
Quezon 2nd Dist. Cong. Kulit Alcala files his COC for governor at the provincial election office. (Photo by Sentinel Times Staff)
