SOUTH COTABATO – Polomolok’s “wild card” in two previous elections for councilor is now gunning as provincial boardmember of South Cotabato.
Councilor Alan Mina Ines has filed his certificate of candidacy as provincial board member under Governor Ferdinand “Dinand” Hernandez. Also running for the same post under the first district of South Cotabato, are Ireneo Cabahug and Ondoy Madanguit. Running as Vice Governor is Vicente “Vic” de Jesus and Danny Nograles as congressman.
Alan Ines first entered politics in 2013 as councilor. In 2016 reelection he ranked no. 7, and on his third reelection he rose to No. 3 in the 2019 elections. His party PDP-Laban nearly swept a complete win with the election of their mayor Honey Lumayag-Matti and vice mayor-elect Xavier Bayan. Only Yungco, however, failed to make it.
Viewed as a “wild card” by political observers not only because of his rankings in the council race, but also on his previous chairmanship on transportation and communications which includes passing legislative measures for regulation of tricycle operations.
The transportation committee was a least favorite committee being a sector that was difficult to please. Other councilors evaded such committee which was viewed as a political suicide.
Ines, however, instead earned the favor of the tricycle drivers when he reduced franchise requirements from 16 to 7 requirements and reducing the franchise cost from P7,000.00 to P400.00.
In an interview in 2019 he said, “Hopefully maipasa ko ngayun yung ordinance na maka daan sa national highway ang mga tricycle namin dito kasi out of 23 barangays may 14 to 15 barangays kami along sa highway na walang alternate route,” Ines said.
Fast forward, before Ine’s ended his second term as chairperson of transporation, the Council was able to pass an ordinance allowing tricycles to pass through the highways in case there is no alternate routes to the barangays and anchoring on an existing ordinance that authorize the passing of the tricycles along the national highways.
Presently, Ines handles the committee on Rules, Good Governance and Legal Mattersm Education, Arts and Culture, Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Ecological Solid Waste Management, DRR and Climate Change Adaptation. (GAF)
