DAGUPAN CITY added another feather to its cap when a city councilor was elected chairman of the more than 16,000 strong Philippine Councilors League in an election at the World Trade Center in Pasay City last March 28.

Michael Fernandez, 34, now on his last term as councilor of Dagupan, was elected to the position, besting Councilor Arecio Rendor of Albay who served as the league’s interim national president.

Fernandez said he virtually passed thru the eye of the needle in that election because he was the lone survivor in his line up.

“But I salute my opponent because right after the proclamation, he approached me and wished me the best of luck and pledged his full support for our term,” he said.

As chairman of the PCL, Fernandez now heads the league’s national board which is the organization’s highest policy-making body based on its constitution and by-laws.

He said the budgets, contracts, almost all the concerns of the league as far as legal relationships are concerned pass through the national board.

He added that the past administration of PCL has left a budget of more than P54 million in the bank.

Next in rank to the national board are the national executive officers, led by councilor Victor Ferrer of Quezon City, who was elected president.

Fernandez said PCL was founded in 1986 basically as a venue for capability-building of councilors throughout the country.

He said the PCL national chairman and president become automatic members of the Union of Local Administrators of the Philippines (ULAP) headed by Mayor Ramon Guico Jr. of Binalonan, Pangasinan, who is also national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines. (PNA)