UNITY WALK. A Unity Walk brings together four mayoral bets in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija – a doctor, a retired general, a veteran movie actor, and a ‘graduating’ female vice mayor. Photo by STEVE A. GUSUICO
4 mayoral bets join Unity Walk in Ecija town
CUYAPO, Nueva Ecija – Last Thursday’s event dubbed “Unity Walk, Inter-Faith Rally and Peace Covenant-Signing brought together all four political protagonists in one place — a physician, a retired police general, a popular veteran actor and a graduating vice mayor, all aspiring to become the town’s mayor come May 12, 2025.
The mayoral bets and their entire town council slates faced off at the San Roque Parish Church in Bgy. District 1 at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Joining the event were the aspirant-mayors led by Dra. Kim Esteban, daughter of outgoing Mayor Florida Paguio-Esteban; former Central Luzon regional police director retired general Jose Hidalgo Jr.; movie actor and former Nueva Ecija Board member Rommel Padilla, and three-termer Vice Mayor Cinderella Ramos.
Esteban is running under Gov. Aurelio M. Umali’s SIGAW party slate, Hidalgo under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, while Padilla, elder brother of Sen. Robinhood Padilla, for Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, and Ramos under the AKAY party.
Also in attendance were their respective vice mayoral tandems – Mayor Esteban; Glenn Corpuz; actor Pio Hidalgo Jr.; and June Paul Mendoza, including their entire councilor slates.
Town police head Lt. Col. Jeffrey S. Onde said the event was a resounding success as all of the 35 local candidates vying for various positions joined the peace pact-signing.
Onde said all of the aspirants wore color-coded t-shirts to signify their party advocacies.
Team Esteban wore white shirts, Team Hidalgo donned blue collared t-shirts with Team Padilla sporting green t-shirts and Team Ramos having red shirts.
Also serving as witnesses to the event were Nueva Ecija top cop Col. Ferdinand D. Germino, municipal election officer Herbert A. Santiago, Mary Kesia C. Guiang municipal DILG officer, and parish priest Rev. Fr. Redentor T. Asuncion Jr..
Onde said this first-class town is classified under the color green category (areas with no election-related security concerns) by the Comelec.
“Normal po dito, tahimik, no intense political rivalry for the May midterm elections,” Onde told the Journal Group.
He said Germino told the police to remain “apolitical” and maintain the stable peace and order situation in the area.
