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BY MAE SINGUAY
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BACOLOD City – A “man of the masses” is how the Sangguniang Panlungsod remembers the late former mayor Oscar “Oca” Verdeflor Sr.
Verdeflor died of respiratory infection at 10:20 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 21. He was 80.
“Pro-poor policies and programs” Verdeflor carried out during his term from July 1, 1998 to March 14, 2001 “earned him the respect and recognition of the masses,” the city council said in a resolution.
He initiated the “free miscellaneous fees and school supplies and feeding program for public school pupils — a laudable program sustained and applied by the city government up to [now],” the council said.
Moreover, “his great concern for the city’s vendors and jeepney drivers pushed him to establish the Bacolod Vendor’s Plaza and jeepney terminal.”
The city council offered their condolences to the Verdeflor family.
Verdeflor’s remains now lie in state in their house in City Heights Subdivision along Verdeflor Street, Barangay Taculing. There are no details on his interment as of this writing.
Known among the press as “The Maverick” — he once authored the eponymous opinion column in Panay News — Verdeflor is remembered by his colleagues for his unique sense of humor.
When he was mayor, Bacolod became a hall of famer for being the cleanest and greenest among highly urbanized cities in the Philippines.
Had he not been disqualified over citizenship issues in 2001 and suffered a stroke and got paralyzed in 2000, Verdeflor could have been one of the city’s longest serving mayors, Councilor Caesar Distrito said./PN
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