BUILDING THE FUTURE OF SAN FERNANDO
Neophyte councilor Brenz Gonzales seeks to build a concrete foundation for the City of San Fernando’s progress.
By Fraulein Olavario
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROMEO PERALTA, JR.
From supervising the production of building designs and accurate implementation of such as a civil engineer, Aurelio Brenz Gonzales now looks to building the future of San Fernando. This comes as the 26-year-old won his bid to be a member of the sangguniang panlungsod or city council in the 2022 local polls,
ranking first in his first foray into politics.
“Sa mga Fernandino, I promise to do good. Talagang magtatrabaho ako at hindi ko sasayangin ‘yung 82,006 na mga botong ibinigay ninyo sa akin. And nagpapasalamat ako sa inyo sa tiwala na binigay ninyo sa akin, at syempre sa aking buong pamilya (To the Fernandinos, I promise to do good. I will work hard and I will not waste the 82,006 votes that you gave me. I am also grateful for your trust in me and my entire family),” Gonzales declares.
ON HIS OWN TERMS
The neophyte councilor is one of three members of the Gonzales political family who won local posts in the province. His father, Aurelio, was elected for a third and final term as Pampanga 3rd District representative, and his sister, Mica, entered the political scene for the first time as a provincial board member for the same
legislative district.
Though he inherited the desire to become a public servant from his father, Gonzales says his decision to run was his own. “Hindi ako pinilit ng father ko (My father didn’t coerce me [into joining politics]). I was not forced, but I can say that I was inspired by him because ever since I was a child, my dad was already involved in politics. He became a board member in 2004. And then, 2007, he was elected congressman,” says Gonzales.
In his quest to serve, the civil engineer in him knows fully well the importance of building a solid foundation not anchored merely on his name, but on experience.
“If you look at it, being a councilor is one of the lowest positions in the local government [structure]. So, for me, councilor muna para mas matutunan ko ‘yung process kung paano [maging mahusay na lingkodbayan]
(I ran for councilor first so that I could learn [how to be an.....