Five local candidates in the Province of Cagayan bravely faced more than four hundred voters from government agencies, religious sector, media practitioners, and various universities to present ‘what they can offer’ and to answer some of the hottest issues in the province, during a Candidates Forum conducted on 29 April, 2013 at the Cagayan State University Amphitheater, CSU-St. Andrews Campus, Tuguegarao City.

The Candidates Forum was organized by the Regional Development Council (RDC) 2’s Sectoral Committees namely Committee on Development Information and Communication (CDIC) and Committee on Development Administration (CODA), in cooperation with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) , Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Cagayan State University (CSU), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Golden Press.

The candidates present were: Congressman Randy S. Ting (incumbent) and Atty. Raymund P. Guzman, both running for the Congressional seat of the 3rd District of Cagayan; and Mr. Winoco Abraham, Atty. Mila Lauigan, and Mr. Christian Guzman for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan seats of Cagayan.

In the first part of the forum, each candidate was given two minutes to present his/ her platform of government. For Congressman Ting, he ensured the continuity of his programs and projects if elected, where his top most priority will center on reform agenda, social development programs, education, and transformational governance. On the other hand, Atty. Guzman shall direct his efforts primarily on agriculture, education, social and livelihood programs, and 24 hour accessibility of service.

Meanwhile, for the Board Member candidates, their legislation will focus on: agriculture and peace and order for Mr. Abraham; efficiency and transparency in local governance, and employment opportunities for Atty. Lauigan; and transparency and accountability in local governance, education, and health and social programs for Mr. Guzman.

Pre-determined questions from the organizers and questions from the audience make up the second and third part of the program where each candidate has one minute to answer. Among the questions asked include: their stand on several concerns in the province as well as national issues such as illegal logging, mining, political dynasty, and poverty.

CDIC Chair and PIA 2 Regional Director Purita S. Licas said that the activity aimed to inform the populace with the local candidates’ platform of government and provide a venue for the candidates to interact with the voters and vice-versa. “It is our service that the candidates present themselves to the people and this is one of the best strategies to educate the public. Through these officials lie the future course of the nation and the community,” she added.

The activity was also attended by Commission on Elections Region 2 Assistant Regional Director Rey Doma. He commended the efforts of the organizers in conducting the Forum for the voters to meet the candidates first hand and identify the best aspiring local officials for the upcoming elections.