Minglanilla Councilor and Lawyer Rajiv Enad (right) on Sunday, October 3, files his certificate of candidacy (COC) for mayor. His running mate is incumbent Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Peña (left) who also lodged his COC on the same day. Both will be running under the Gullas-led Alayon party. Talisay City Mayor Samsam Gullas (centre) accompanied them during the filing of their COCs. | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A cityhood status and a flourishing economy.
This was how lawyer and town councilor Rajiv Enad envisioned Minglanilla’s future should he win the mayoral race in this first-class town located approximately 15 kilometers south of Cebu City.
Enad on Sunday, October 3, formally filed his bid for the town’s highest post. His running mate would be incumbent Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Peña.
Peña is currently serving his last term as the municipal mayor.
The two candidates will be running under the banner of Alayon, the local political party founded and led by the Gullases.
In a phone interview with reporters, Enad said members and supporters of their party selected him to vie for the town’s highest position.
“I am currently the first councilor and I was initially planning to run as vice mayor but after a meeting with our barangay captains and Mayor Samsam Gullas (Talisay City), it was agreed I would lead the race,” said Enad in Cebuano.
“Part of my plans is that we want Minglanilla to be a thriving locality that will embrace the characteristic of adapting a work-live-and-play concept, making it competitive,” he added.
Enad also said he would be pushing to elevate Minglanilla’s status from a municipality to a component city and address traffic problems plaguing the town.
The councilor is not new to politics.
He first started his political career as the President of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) in Minglanilla in 2002.
In 2007, he was elected as town councilor until 2016, completing all three terms. He got reelected during the 2019 Midterm Elections.
As of October 3, Enad is the second candidate to have filed the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) as a mayor in Cebu province, based on the latest data from the Commission on Elections here (Comelec – Cebu).
Cebu province is composed of 44 localities six of which are component cities while the rest are municipalities.
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