Governor Erico Aumentado who was recently installed regional chairman for Central Visayas of the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD chose the turf of Cong. Roberto "Ondoy" Cajes as the venue where he announced the lawmaker's bid for vice governor.
The announcement virtually shattered once and for all the rumors and speculations about the governor's choice for vice governor although in some instances the provincial executive was also heard rooting for either Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo, Jr. or Board Member Concepcion Lim, 'depending on the audience' ,he was in.
Aumentado's proclamation in favor of the second district solon was made during the 62nd town anniversary celebration of Trinidad in front of hundreds of Trinidadnons last September 1.
Cajes gladly accepted the governor's pronouncement while recognizing Aumentado's magic touch that convinced him to enter politics almost 17 years ago when he ran and was elected as board member in 1992.
While reliable sources reported that Aumentado's choice for provincial chairmanship of Lakas-Kampi-CMD was Cajes, this was reportedly turned down by the legislator to pave way for the administration's gubernatorial candidate to assume the chairmanship left vacant by Aumentado's promotion.
The course of Cajes political journey was marked with a single defeat in 1995 elections but he regained victory in 1998 elections for his second term as board member.
In 2001 elections, it was also Aumentado who encouraged Cajes to run for representative in the second district of Bohol where he emerged victorious in a dramatic one-on-one fight for congress between Cajes and former Inabanga mayor Jose "Boy" Jumamoy.
The Bohol Polls 2005 conducted by the Research Center of Holy Name University revealed that most of the constituencies of Cajes have come to know the solon's projects not from newspapers, radio or television but from actually seeing and experiencing them.
In the 2007 elections, Cajes leadership and strategies in the political arena were proven impressive in his capacity as chairman of the second district Lakas-Kampi-CMD. His leadership led to the victories of 13 mayors out of 14 mayoralty candidates. It was a victory that was not seen in other congressional districts in Bohol.
Cajes leadership was recognized nationally as early as his first term as congressman. He was among the few neophyte who earned the respect of his colleagues leading to his appointment as Senior Vice Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Telecommunications-a seat that is rarely given to neophyte solons.
In his second term, Cajes became the Chairman of the Ethics Committee. During his chairmanship, the committee had caught media mileage as it delved national issues that shook the country and even affected the economic activity to include the controversial alleged wealth of the First Family in a German Bank.
In his service to the people, he earned several citations such as one of the most Outstanding Neophyte Congressman of the 12th Congress, the Legislator par Excellence of the year 2002, Congressman of the Year being awarded by the Philippines Media Enforcers, Inc., Public Servant of the Philippines for 2002; and the Development of the Filipino Youth Inc. as an Outstanding Congressman of the year 2002.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=22433.0
