‘JOE-able’: Ex-mayor promises social services, economic growth in Congress bid

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Former Iloilo City mayor Jose “Joe” Espinosa III on Friday promised to revive delivery of social services to the barangay levels and furthering economic growth amid and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Espinosa made the promise as he kickstarted his bid for the city’s lone seat in the House of Representatives.

Espinosa filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) with the city election office on Friday after attending a mass organized by his team at a church in Jaro district.

In a press conference, he took pride in graduating from public school in elementary, recalling that he walked to school from elementary to college. He also claimed excelling in his Political Science and Economics and Law degrees.

He said his experiences since he was young helped him when he became city councilor, city legal officer, vice mayor, and mayor.

“My first bout in politics was when I was elected as Business Manager at the age of 8, when I was in Grade 2 at the A. Montes Elementary School. At the University of Iloilo, I was elected Senator of the Junior Student Republic and subsequently as Senate President. When I was in college at the University of San Agustin, I always carried my groups because I was class president in college until I graduated from law school,” he said.

The former mayor said he is standing on a platform of helping people, representing the city with inclusiveness in service “without prejudice to any sector”.

His aim is to institutionalize basic social services, particularly frontline services, to the barangay level, something which he said he had done as mayor.

Other laws he would want to craft involve “institutionalizing solutions to issues on education, environment, food security, family welfare, and political and judicial reforms”.

As to COVID recovery, he touted innovation for businesses to survive amid COVID-related lockdowns and other related regulations to “help them adapt to this new reality”.

He labeled his platform “JOE-able” or “JoWABLE”, which stands for “Jobs, for all Welfare, Education, Agriculture, Business, Law and order, and Environment”.

Espinosa said he would support ABS-CBN’s application for a new franchise, provided they would follow the law.

His opponent, incumbent representative Julienne Baronda, was one of the 70 members of the lower house who rejected the network’s franchise. She recently asserted that the network did not follow the law, despite government agencies’ testimonies clearing them.

“Iloilo City is a city which is an educational center, we are the industrial center and economic center of Region 6, and everyone considers Iloilo City as a bastion of intellect, of business, and of our exchanges of views that may differ with some bickering at times, but always on the playing field of everyone’s ideas. I am a listener, because if we don’t listen, then that would be the end of our career as a politician, as a father, a husband, and a member of the community,” Espinosa said.

The former mayor said his desire to run for the congressional was borne out of public consultations where he found that people were frustrated with how the city was being represented.

But in 2018, he told Bombo Radyo Iloilo that he would not run for congress because “it was for people who would like to stick to power”.

He explained the statement, saying that it was to nix a 2019 congressional run and seek a full term as mayor.

“We’re thinking prospectively here. I said that to drive the point that I was running for mayor, because there were principles involved at the time. What drove me to run was the consultation with the people, and their view was that the city was not properly and ably represented in congress,” Espinosa explained.

 

REACTIONS FROM FAMILY

Espinosa was joined at the press conference by his wife Gina Sarabia-Espinosa and three of their daughters – Regine, Bea, and Isabel.

Isabel, who serves as her father’s spokesperson, shared her experiences with her father growing up, saying that he always came to her aid and never raised his voice at them.

She said that her father was “one with everyone and one with the nation,” and would do well in congress with the support of the people.

“From the beginning, whenever we needed him, even just for food, he had always made time for us. He has never raised his voice or showed anger towards us. He has never missed any of my events, even if it’s just a dance or a small achievement. In every decision I make, he really supports me, so with that, now that it’s our time and he needs us the most, I can only say that I am here for him. I know that he is competent enough, and he is dedicated to us because he loves public service and he loves helping people, because that’s how he is and that’s where he came from,” Isabel, the youngest of the brood, added.

Isabel also told Daily Guardian that she believed that her father is still “one of the best public servants” and would serve the city well.

“It’s been his dream, and I just want to support him. I have been filled with love by my dad since I was born, and I think the city deserves to have that love, and to be served by him. We all deserve to be served by a good leader, and I know my dad has it in him. The betterment of the city is for my betterment as well, so I support him,” she added.

Espinosa’s oldest daughter Regine said she was “very proud” of her father’s congressional bid, while recalling how she sometimes went with her dad when he is at work.

“Ever since, growing up, I saw him working with the people in his community. He really loves the Ilonggos, that is the most important and that’s what I saw since I was little. So, I am very happy that I could be sharing him with the Ilonggo people and the country, so let’s Joe!” said Regine.

Bea also shared that she was “happy to share” her father with Ilonggos once again, saying they will not deprive Ilonggos of their father’s love.

“For us, his love is really great, so why only us? So, we’d like to share them with others, especially with the Ilonggos who need social services, who own small businesses and small and medium enterprises. We have to share him to the Ilonggos, to the nation, and to the world,” she said.