THE MEMBERS OF THE ORMOC Development Team (ODT), led by power couple Leyte 4th District Representative Richard I. Gomez and Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez, took their respective oaths of office as newly-elected city officials on June 30, 2025 at the Ormoc City Superdome.
Together with the Gomez couple were newly-elected City Vice Mayor Leo Carmelo Locsin, Jr. and the members of the 17th Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) of Ormoc namely, Atty. Ari Larrazabal, Dr. Edmund Kierulf, Tomas “Tommy” Serafica, Atty. Jasper “Ping” Lucero, Peter “Perok” Rodriguez, Carmen Jean “Caren” Torres-Rama, Dr. Gerry Penserga, Atty. Burt Pades, Krizea Caessandra “Kia” Mercadal, and Lalaine Marcos.
During the said event, Mayor Lucy first thanked God for the ODT’s victory. “Today, you have given me and the Ormoc Development Team, another three years to take care of Ormoc City. I would like to thank God for this victory. We’ve gotten used to saving the best for last,” said the mayor.
Mayor Lucy also said that her team, the ODT, which is now stronger, will again continue to serve Ormoc. “Here we are again, the same people, in the same Ormoc City, but I dare say, now, an even stronger people than we were three years ago, in an Ormoc that is better, brighter, more progressive, more beautiful. And there is no stopping us from going for more,” she said.
Furthermore, the mayor expressed gratitude to Ormocanons for their support and trusting their performance, wherein the ODT won 13-0 in 65 barangays out of 85 in this city.
According to her, performing the greatest honor of leading the city government is a whole new kind of love that feels so much like supercharged motherhood. “Not all prayers are answered in the way you want them to be. All my life I have dreamt of having a big family of my own. But God gave us only one child, and now I know it is perhaps because He knew I would one day have to mother a whole city. In the here and now, this is what Ormoc City is to me—a big, extended family,” the mayor smilingly said.
Mayor Lucy also thanked the ODT members, punong barangays, and the City Mayor’s Office staff. “One of the strengths of the Ormoc LGU, which is largely influenced by how the ODT works, is how it is organized. We work in close coordination with the barangays, mindful and respectful of their priorities in alignment with the city’s direction,” she emphasized.
On the other hand, Cong. Gomez expressed gratitude to the constituents of Leyte 4th District for once again giving him the mandate to represent the district in the 20th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines. “Daghan kaayong salamat! Bisan ingon pa nila nga dili ko taga Ormoc,” he said.
The congressman shared that when he sees his future, it is always set in Ormoc and in the Fourth District. He shared that he envisions the district as one of the most progressive districts in the country in a decade or so. “During my first term as your congressman, I am happy to report that a total of 11.8 billion pesos was invested in the Fourth District of Leyte through my efforts as your congressman,” he proudly said.
The ceremony also served as a venue to honor outgoing city officials, including Vice Mayor Leo Carmelo Locsin, Sr., and City Councilors Nolito Quilang, Gregorio Yrastorza III, and Rey Evangelista with Mayor Lucy each giving them their commemorative rings. (By Gwen Maurillo / EV Mail JUNE 30-JULY 6, 2025 issue)
