Acting Vice Mayor Bernard Al-ag conceded on Tuesday that his assumption to his new post as No. 2 Davao City official was totally unexpected it practically never crossed his mind.
“I never expected this,” he told the Pulong-pulong ni Pulong. “But after praying with my family, I now have the confidence (to assume the mantle of responsibility).”
Al-ag said his first reaction when Vice-Mayor Paulo Duterte resigned on Dec. 25 was one of shock.
“And when I saw the Vice-Mayor in tears, I realized he was resigning for real,” he said.
Al-ag, the majority floor leader who is on his third term as city councilor, assumed the post as vice-mayor for having the highest percentage from electoral votes acquired.
He clarified he is still acting vice-mayor until after the Department of Local Government and Interior gives the go-signal for him to take his oath.
Al-ag is the youngest brother of former city councilor Wilberto Al-ag who served for three terms from 2004 to 2010.
The Al-ags trace their ancestry to the municipality of Sikatuna, Bohol. The vice-mayor said his grandfather then migrated to Misamis Occidental but because of the insurgency that affected the Zamboanga peninsula in the 1970s, Al-ag’s parents moved to Toril in Davao City in 1975.
He said that of the eight Al-ag siblings, he was the only one born in Davao City.
“But this is not about me but about Davao City,” he said, referring to his ‘promotion.’
He said that with him at the helm, the City Council will further strengthen the 10-point development agenda spelled out by Mayor Sara Duterte during his State of the City address.
“And we will engage more the public in terms of providing easy access to information and by maintaining on-line presence,” he said.
He said the city council will support the executive branch in implementing reorganization among departments as well as in the creation of an archive and records office.
He said the City Council will also buckle down to work to address several concerns, including solid waste management where the possibility of the city adopting a waste to energy technology from Japan has been raised.
“Of course, we will be conducting public hearings to enable us to listen to everybody,” he said.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang ha earlier expressed confidence that that Al-ag, many years his junior, will be up to the task as the new vice-mayor.
