(Editor’s note: This is part of OpinYon Laguna’s “Know Your Candidate Series” for the May 9 elections.)
Despite his success in the real-estate industry, Lagunense businessman Cesar Areza says he wanted to do something more for his hometown of Pagsanjan.
“Ang isang Cesar Areza po ay isang successful business man, di na kailangan kumandidato, pero bilang tayo ay may kakayanang tumulong, na kung pagbibigyan tayo ng Diyos ay mamahala sa bayan ng Pagsanjan,” he said in an interview with OpinYon Laguna.
Areza, whose name is now synonymous for real estate in Laguna province (the chain of Areza Town Centers in the province have become hubs for business establishments and government agencies), is now facing a “David-vs-Goliath” battle in the May 9 elections.
He is currently facing incumbent Pagsanjan mayor Peter Casius "Toto" Trinidad and former mayor Girlie "Maita" Ejercito in the battle for mayor of the town, long-known as a tourism hub in Laguna province.
Lost opportunities
Asked by OpinYon Laguna why he decided to run for mayor, Areza said he sees a lot of “wasted opportunities” for socio-economic growth in Pagsanjan.
Despite being a tourist magnet for decades – Pagsanjan is the staging point for the famed “shooting the rapids” on the way to the Cavinti Falls – he lamented that the town still needs to attract investors that will transform the town into an economic powerhouse in the province.
Banking on his 32-year career as a successful entrepreneur, Areza said he is prioritizing on creating more and better jobs in Pagsanjan, especially as its tourism sector is just starting to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Top priority is tourism
Reviving the town’s tourism sector, which had suffered due to the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, is Areza’s top priority in his first 100 days of office, he said.
"Para manumbalik ang kasikatan ng Pagsanjan, magpapagawa tayo ng condo hotel, para tumagal ang mga turista rito. At ito ay uumpisahan na, nasisiguro ko na tataas ang volume ng turista. Hindi lang hotel, madami ding malalaking investor tulad ng Tagaytay City,” he told OpinYon Laguna.
Areza also laid out plans to start a “floating restaurant” along the Pagsanjan River, rehabilitate the town’s old houses like in Vigan City, and embark on an infrastructure program, building new government offices and commercial establishments.
“Magtatayo tayo ng panibagong munisipyo, na kaaya-aya sa mga investor; mga bagong government offices, one-stop shop para sa mga magsasaka, pati mga call center at factories,” he said.
Priorities for first 100 days
Aside from tourism and infrastructure, Areza said he would like to prioritize boosting the town’s health and education services, as well as peace and order.
In his website, the mayoralty candidate said he aims to do a “tough love” approach to street enforcement, which means building facilities for drug addicts.
Also in his priorities is the streamlining of the planning and permitting process to save time and money for builders and jumpstart the construction of much-needed housing projects for the town’s homeless.
“Bilang negosyante, naniniwala tayo na kapag maganda ang peace and order madali makahikayat ng investor at payapa ang pagtatrabaho,” he explained.
He also promised to study proposals for the revival of the long-abandoned Philippine National Railways (PNR) line to Pagsanjan, although he noted that they would “need a total reality check on the actual costs to complete the full route.”
Agricultural development
Areza also plans to revitalize Pagsanjan’s agricultural sector, which he believes has been neglected in favor of tourism.
Among his plans for agricultural development are putting up a one-stop “Bagsakan Center” where farmers could sell their produce directly to consumers without having to go through middlemen.
“Marami sa mga farmer ngayon, di sila na-educate about trading. Nabibiktima sila ng mga traders, so ang nangyayari ay nakatali na yung nakaisa – isipin mo, yung mga farmer, three to four months nag-aalaga ng kanilang mga pananim, pero yung traders, sa isang araw lang, malaki na agad ang kinikita,” he pointed out.
Aside from this, Areza also said he would like to introduce new farming methods and technologies that would reduce growing time for crops and enable farmers to produce more.
“Instead na four months, yung nga bagong teknolohiya, kaya na ng 30 days. So every month kaya nang anihin yung mga produce,” he said.
A new kind of politics
In a province where traditional politicians have become even more entrenched, Areza said he wants to introduce a new kind of leadership – an inclusive leadership that will ensure that Pagsanjan will not only recover from the pandemic but contribute to the overall socio-economic progress of Laguna province.
“We believe that this defining decade presents the opportunity to make the next chapter in Pagsanjanians’ life more like what it should be: more inclusive, prosperous, and decent,” he said.