THE ‘One Kagayan’ coalition drew a huge crowd to Rio de Oro Boulevard for its March 28th rally, with police estimating over 15,000 attendees.
The event, organized by the coalition known as #KaubanAngKayawhan, brought together supporters from across the city, demonstrating a strong show of unity.
The rally highlighted the coming together of two prominent political groups in the city: those aligned with Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy from the 1st district and 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.
The crowd, that filled a significant portion of the 2.5-kilometer boulevard, gathered to hear from key figures and express their backing for the coalition’s goals.
The rally, which began around 4:00 pm and extended until 10:00 pm, featured speeches, musical performances, and displays of solidarity.
Uy and Rodriguez were the main speakers at the event. Mayor Uy spoke about his promise to keep providing services to the people.
He also talked about how he managed the City Hall even when the city's money situation was not good when he started in June 2022.
Despite the difficult financial situation, Uy put a lot of focus on helping people, through his every Wednesday's ‘People’s Day’ and ‘Klarex nga Serbisyo sa Baryo’ every Saturday.
He increased the number of city scholars from 8,000 to 15,000, started the City College, and created the City Education Development Office.
Uy also improved the city-owned JR Borja General Hospital, making it a Level II hospital. He also directly helped hundreds of thousands of people in his city through the program ‘Suroy-Suroy sa Baryo.’
Second District Rep. Rodriguez also shared his plans for the city.
He talked about building new, modern projects like a railway system between Cagayan de Oro and Laguindingan Airport, as well as a light railway system within the city.
He also promised to keep working to get money for major road projects, such as the coastal road from Gusa to Puerto and the mountain highway from Sayre Highway to Laguindingan.
Meanwhile, former Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin ‘KapKik’ Uy also spoke, sounding prepared for his role in Congress with a strong speech about his plans to help the poor.
He outlined his legislative agenda, promising more projects to create jobs and improve the lives of those in need.
Like Kapkik, Vice Mayor Jocelyn ‘Bebot’ Rodriguez opened the rally with an inspiring speech, highlighting how she and Mayor Uy worked together to help the city recover economically.
She also discussed how she unified the City Council and pledged to serve the people even better if given a 16-0 win (referring to a complete victory in the upcoming elections).
Former Abante Mindanao (Abamin) Rep. Maxie Rodriguez (1st nominee) and Iligan City Councilor Queenie Belmonte (2nd nominee) also took the stage to promote the Abamin party list, urging support for their cause.
Sixteen candidates for the City Council (eight per district) also took the stage, presenting themselves with speeches, songs, and dances.
Local singers serenaded the candidates, highlighted by the rendition of Yeng Constantino’s “Hawak Kamay,” with the thousands in attendance joining in chorus while holding hands up in the air, expressing the strong solidarity of One Kagayan, “kauban ang katawhan” (with the people).
