ILOILO City – Councilor Plaridel Nava announced he would be resigning effective Sept. 1, 2023.
“Next week I will be submitting my resignation letter,” Nava said in an interview over DYOK Aksyon Radyo Iloilo’s program “Aksyon Hotline.”
The lone opposition in the city council said he “lost my appetite to public service.”
“Gusto ko na magpahuway, focus sa pamilya, sa future sang kabataan,” said Nava who is turning 50 this year.
Nava was elected councilor in 2010 and served for three consecutive terms or a total of nine years until 2019.
He ran unsuccessfully for vice mayor in the 2019 elections and in last year’s polls again ran for a seat in the council. He won.
According to Nava, even before losing the 2019 vice mayoral race, he had already decided to retire from politics. In fact, he and his family went abroad supposedly for good already.
Nava also said he had no plan to run for councilor anew last year. However, his political ally, the late former councilor Joshua Alim, persuaded him to return to public service.
“Subong nagadalagku na ang mga kabataan, we have to make adjustments. So hambal ko wala naman ko gana sa pulitika, sa public service, so nag-contemplate ko nga mag-resign,” he said.
According to Nava, the vacancy his resignation would create in the city council would be filled up, and the new councilor would come from his political party, PROMDI, as the law provides.
He said the party has given him the free hand to choose his successor but consult Mayor Jerry P. Treñas out of courtesy.
“Ang partido nag-communicate kay mayor…kon sin-o ang pilion, ang i-endorse. Si mayor nangayo shortlist kon sin-o akon i-recommend,” Nava said.
Shortlisted were Atty. Dan Cartagena, Atty. Sheila Olid, Kayser Jadulos, and Nava’s elder brother, Sumakwel Nava Jr.
“Si mayor has decided nga kon siya papilion, ang utod ko,” said Nava. “Ang partido namangkot sa akon kon okay ako sa choice ni Mayor, siling nila ma-support si mayor sa endorsement sang magulang ko kag ang konseho, although indi requirement under the law.”/PN
