PAMPANGA — Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Pampanga Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda, and Vice Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda are expected to attend the declaration of candidacy for Pampanga First District Representative of Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr., to be held on June 28, 2024 at the Magalang Plaza in the Municipality of Magalang.
Lazatin’s younger brother, incumbent Pampanga First District Representative Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II; Magalang Municipal Mayor Maria Lourdes Lacson; and Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo are also expected to attend.
Businessman and philanthropist Rodolfo “Tatay Bong” Pineda is also invited to attend the event.
Last week, Lazatin announced that he will officially declare his candidacy for Pampanga First District Representative on what would have been the 90th birthday of his late father, Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, who also served in the same position from 1987 to 1998 and from 2007 to 2013.
Lazatin is currently serving his tenth year in public service, having started his political career in 2013 when he first ran for City Councilor.
As a staunch advocate of the environment, Lazatin authored major ordinances for environment protection — City Ordinance No. 364 (Regulating the Use of Plastic Bags and Styrofoam in Angeles City) and City Ordinance No. 456 (Requiring Business Establishments to Conduct a Greening Program).
After two terms in the City Council, Lazatin was elected as City Mayor in 2019, where he continued efforts to protect the environment through landmark programs, such as the continuous reforestation of the Angeles City Watershed in Barangay Sapangbato and the ‘Walang Plastikan: Plastic Palit Bigas’ Program.
Under the ‘Walang Plastikan’ Program, residents of Angeles City are able to exchange every kilo of their plastic waste for an equivalent weight of uncooked rice.
The ‘Walang Plastikan’ Program is currently one of the national finalists for the Walang Gutom Awards 2024.
Under Lazatin’s administration, Angeles City has received numerous awards and citations, including the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awarded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in 2023.
Recently, the city was also ranked 5th among nine Philippine Cities with the largest urban economies in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index.
In 2023, Lazatin was given the Most Outstanding Kapampangan Award in Government Service.
When Lazatin was re-elected for his second term as Angeles City Mayor in 2022, he became the first mayor in the city’s history to have been elected with more than 100,000 votes — winning in all clustered precincts in all 33 barangays of the city and obtaining a total of 112,953 votes.
(File photo shows Pampanga Vice Governor Lilia Pineda during the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected Barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan Officials of Angeles City’s 33 Barangays at Royce Hotel and Casino on November 16, 2023.
Also present are Pampanga Governor Dennis ”Delta” Pineda, Pampanga First District Representative Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr., Magalang Mayor Malu Lacson, Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo, and Angeles City Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting.)
