The Force is strong with this mayor. (CDN Photo/Gerard Pareja)
HE MEANS business when putting things in order and making sure laws are implemented but he can also be playful and funny when the occasion calls for it.
Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing showed both sides when the Cebu Daily News Life! team dropped by for a quick visit to his office one afternoon.
The 38-year-old mayor started his career in politics as Provincial Board Member representing the 6th District of Cebu in 2007 before he was elected congressman for the same district in 2010.
He won the mayoralty race in the 2016 elections and has since made Mandaue City known for its strict implementation of traffic rules as well as the plastic ban. And while he is a disciplinarian, at home he is a loving husband to Maricar, and a doting father to daughter Sophie and a son who’s due in March next year. “Matching set,” he tells us with his signature smile.
He also let us in on his other interests, including his Star Wars collection, his love for cooking, and his penchant for old stuff. Here’s more of Mandaue’s cool millennial mayor.
LITTLE LUIS
It’s gonna be a boy this time. Matching set. It’s due in March. For the name, it’s going to have Luis because my second name is Luis, my father’s name is Luis, Maricar’s father’s name is Luis, and her grandfather’s name is Luis as well. So definitely Luis has to be there somewhere.
STAR WARS COLLECTION
Star Wars is my favorite.
My collections are Star Wars, Ghost Busters, Back to the Future.
A lot of 80s stuff. I like sci-fi. Unfortunately, I can’t bring too much here and in the house, I only have limited space. I only have one room that can filled my different stuff. The rest are in storage.
Once in a while if I miss a particular piece I bring out and display it. A little bit of everything. Just little things that sort of remind me of my childhood, I guess. The ones that I have are mostly small pieces and not particularly expensive.
Most of what I have are either small figures. I have a collection of helmets from “Star Wars” and most of them are handmade by different people that do Star Wars costume.
IN COSTUME
I have an officer costume, Star Wars and Star Trek costumes.
I’m actually part of a group called the 501st which is a worldwide Star Wars fan group.
They do mura’g cosplay for charity. There’s about 15 in Cebu, worldwide there is 15,000. They do things like dressing up in costume and giving toys to kids in hospitals.
Whenever they do private events for example, parties, they are in full costume. They don’t accept money for themselves. What they do, whatever the cost of the characters, is donated to the charity of choice.
In Cebu, what they concentrate on is buying wheelchairs for PWDs. They also do special events. It’s mostly for charity but started for the love of Star Wars. A lot of my stuff are made locally.
It’s fun and a nice hobby. Most of my staff in the office are now becoming Star Wars fans.
SECRET RECIPE
I cook more than she (Maricar) does. My favorite is my grandmother’s recipe for binagoongan.
My grandmother man gud is Kapampangan. The binagoongan is particularly frustrating, because well, unfortunately she passed away months ago. A few years ago, I asked for her recipe.
Because you know when I was younger and I was growing up.
She always cooks. Kapampangan you know they are really renowned for their culinary skills. I asked her to give her recipe of the binagoongan because when she got a little older she stopped cooking naman gud.
She was in and out of the hospital and I asked her to give me her recipe so that I can make her binagoongan. She gave me her recipe and I brought it back to Cebu. I tried to make her recipe but it did not taste the same man gud.
So I thought maybe because of the ingredients she uses. Whatever, our bagoong here is different from Manila. But even if I brought bagoong from Pampanga it still did not taste the same.
So I asked her last year, you know, I told her: “No matter how I tried to make your recipe, I can’t do it.” She said, “Of course you can’t do it. Because I did not tell you all the ingredients.” (laughing) I told her: “I asked you for the recipe. If you did not give me the exact recipe, what’s the point?” “No, that secret is dying with me,” she said.
Yes, because she said, if it doesn’t taste the same I still have a reason to go and visit her daw.
So, unfortunately since she passed away she never told me the secret ingredients and up until now I make it once in a while and I try to change the recipe and add a little bit.
I hope one day I will get it.
COMEDY FAN
I watch a lot of old series like just a few weeks ago I watched “Perfect Stranger.” It is an old comedy series.
Mostly I watch a lot of old shows, mostly comedies. I have more than enough drama in my daily life. So comedy na lang ko.
CHRISTMAS TIME
We always spend Christmas at home especially now that Maricar is pregnant. We really can’t travel very much. As a matter of fact, early January is the wedding anniversary of my parents, as well as Maricar’s birthday.
We were planning to go out of the country, but even if we do she won’t be able to walk very much because by then she will be by seven months pregnant. S
akto ra sad. There are a lot of things to do during the holidays. I probably can’t get away too long even if I wanted to.
NEW YEAR
With a baby boy, it’s going to take a lot of adjustment soon. As far as the house is concerned, I am losing one room.
That’s even a less Star Wars stuff that I can display but we are looking forward to converting it into a nursery room. It’s going to be a new experience for both of us.