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Uy’s political journey

Charlotte, North Carolina—Rep. Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy had been ready for years to be elected and to serve as mayor of Cagayan de Oro City and Mayor Oscar Moreno’s announcement that Uy would continue his programs is just the adrenaline push the congressman needs to serve the city more.

Lando Uy is a man of great patience. He can wait for his turn. That virtue non existent to other politicians or even non politicians. Like any soldier in combat he can wait but while waiting he works and toils, preparing for the day when opportunity comes to serve.

As a congressman Uy is quite conscious and ever ready to serve his constituents in Cagayan de Oro’s first district. In street language Klarex is “dili sirok.”

We have seen Uy after his run for mayor in 2010. In the 2013 elections, Uy chose not to run and instead supported then outgoing Misamis Oriental governor Oscar Moreno in his run against the late mayor Vicente Emano.

Uy worked well and delivered and partnered with the Moreno administration and the results speak for themselves.  More and better roads, schools, hospitals and services to the barangays in the city’s first district.

The list is long but all those who live in the hinterlands can see and have benefitted from the truckload of projects that Uy delivered to them in his capacity as their congressman in the city’s first district.

And there are many more to be received by city residents should they chose to elect Uy, who originally come from Clarin town, Misamis Occidental.

Unlike others who preceded him, Uy began at the bottom.  Uy was a barangay kagawad of Carmen and later became a barangay (village) chairman.

It was as barangay chairman of Carmen that I came to know Uy.  Social media wasn’t even a thought at the time and what will later be known as the internet or World Wide Web was still in its infant stage.

People in those days relied heavily on the rsdio, TV and newspapers to get their daily dose of news, information and entertainment. As a radio anchor in my early years, I did double time providing news and extending assistance to my loyal audience.

It was in this capacity that I come into contact with then kagawad (councilman) Uy and he would gladly offer his assistance. In no time at all ‘Klarex’ Uy became a household byword.

Then he was elected barangay chairman, winning over those who claimed roots in Carmen and through sheer grit and commitment, Uy became one of the so-called ‘Magic 8’,  or the eight barangay officials whose support of the late mayor Vicente ‘Alas’ Emano secured his victory against the then administration candidates of the late mayor Pablo Magtajas and the late congressman Erasmo Damasing.

At that time I was a vocal critic of Emano and his loyal barangay captains won’t talk to me except Uy who wasn’t scared of being sanctioned by ‘Alas’ for agreeing to be interviewed by me at any time.

So aside from patience, Uy holds the virtue of sticking to his principles and convictions, not hesitating to uphold them over friendships and even his political career.

Building a name for himself among all other barangay officials is no easy task snd he built his mass base that he posed a potential challenge to ‘Alas.’

As barangay chairman Uy managed to reach out to other barangay officisals and built friendships with them over the years.

Thus when he challenged Emano in 2010 during his tenure as first district congressman, he lost, not a few believed he was cheated and true enough there was evidence that the SD cards used for the automated counting machines were found in the former Dagong landfill.

Uy then returned to base He stayed on his base and began anew, winning another congressional stint which he holds unchallenged to this day.

We’ll talk more about Uy’s political journey in the days to come since it’s still too early to discuss elections barely after the country had one back in May.

Suffice it to say that Moreno made the right choice and Uy, for all his experience in the political arena, remains as simple, principled and dedicated to public service as he was in his days as barangay chairman of Carmen.

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