By Virgilio Sar. Maganes

VILLASIS – Mayor Nonato Abrenica said he was all set to rehabilitate the flood-damaged agriculture and infrastructure projects and called on his townmates to be united behind him in bringing back the progress of the town.

In an interview with this paper, Abrenica said the unprecedented flood that occurred last October 8 and 9 this year caused tremendous damages on agricultural crops, live stocks, houses and government infrastructure projects that need immediate action.

The flood was caused by the intermittent rains brought by Typhoon Pepeng and the indiscriminate release of water by the management of the San Roque Dam.

His administration is now working on the tagline “Ibalik natin ang pag-asenso, Bangon Villasis! Kayang-kaya kung Sama-sama.” (Let’s restore progress. Rise Villasis! We can do it if we’re united.)

“We have to rise after the calamity and put back the gains of development our people have been enjoying for years,” he said as he allayed fears that the same flood of great magnitude will not happen again.

Abrenica’s nine-year stint as the local chief executive here expires on June 30, 2010.

During his watch, he constructed physical infrastructure among which are the bagsakan (wholesale) market, the new municipal hall, the public market including the fish section, the new public auditorium, the controlled dumpsite in Capulaan village and farm to market roads.

He placed the town in the world-map through its annual “Talong Festival” which attracted balikbayans (expatriates) from all over the world and revitalized vegetable production by subsidizing seed requirements of farmers.

Abrenica is also noted of scouting candidates from abroad for the annual fiesta celebration seeing to it that fiesta proceeds were spent on worthwhile projects.

Aside from these accomplishments, he also increased the town’s revenues making it as a first class municipality from being a third class when he assumed the mayoralty in 2001.

The town has at present a total income of P89 million.

Despite these notable projects he had initiated, Mayor Abrenica said (that) he is not yet ready to retire not until 2013 adding that “there are still more projects he has in mind to propel development in the town.”

On the political front, he is fielding his wife Libradita Go-Abrenica (Dita) for the mayoral post in the May 2010 elections in which he said not was his own decision but the clamor of various sectors in the town.

Rep. Mark Cojuangco (5th district), political allies in the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and Undersecretary Antonio “Bebot” Villar Jr. had endorsed Dita as the town’s mayoral candidate in the 2010 polls.

“I am confident that my wife, with me behind her, will have the same brand of leadership and the zest of service will be provided to our town mates,” he said.

He dispelled speculations that after the three-year mayoral stint of his wife that he will throw his hat again in the political scene.

“Just give us another three more years to complete our projects, and I assure our town mates that by that time I will be joining the league of senior citizens and look for a worthy town mate to lead this town,” he said.

Asked to comment on the rumors that is circulating in the town that former police general Ismael Rafanan will likely enter the mayoralty fray in the coming elections, he downplayed such rumor saying that Rafanan is his close friend and that they are in constant communication with each other.

Rafanan is a retired officer of the Philippine National Police Directorate.

“I know that there are people urging him to challenge Dita in 2010 elections but the way I see it, he is reluctant to enter the political scene. These people wanted “blood” (money) from us and I don’t think that will happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abrenica said that as of now he will concentrate on his “baby projects” among which are the Gawad Kalinga housing project for the homeless families whose houses were destroyed by the recent flood, improvement of the municipal cemetery by putting up bone banks, improving the waste management system, computerization of the financial records of the town and spurring agricultural and livelihood programs.