Provincial Board Member Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez has been elected national vice president for the Visayas of the Provincial Board Members' League of the Philippines during the PBMLP 24th National Convention at Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City on Friday. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Bohol has, therefore, now two members who are holding identical national positions in separate local leagues, the other being Board Member Antonio Ouano, of the Philippine Councilors' League (PCL). Gov. Edgar Chatto and Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim yesterday congratulated Lopez, fully knowing well that the latter could ably support in influencing national goods for the welfare of the Boholanos through his national seat in the league. Chatto is the incumbent national secretary-general of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), and has been credited for giving the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), the mother of all local leagues in the country.

Lopez automatically sits in the PBMLP National Council and brings the voices of the board members from all provinces of the Visayas regions, comprising Regions 6, 7 and 8 or Eastern, Central and Western Visayas. A first cousin of First District Rep. Rene Relampagos, the capitol lawmaker will take his oath, along with the other new national officers of the PBMLP, before Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III at Malacañang on Tuesday, March 18. The new PBMLP national president is Board Member Myrna Romarate of Surigao del Norte. Lopez is the floor leader of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Bohol. The SP assistant floor leader, Board Member Tomas Abapo, Jr., is a former regional chairman of the PBMLP, a post coincidentally held now by another Bohol board member, Venzencio Arcamo. Meanwhile, Ouano thanked in the SP special session on Wednesday the governor, vice governor and fellow board members for supporting his successful bid for PCL national vice president for the Visayas in the league's election early this month. Another Boholano, Tagbilaran City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso, holds a sensitive post as national auditor of the Vice Mayors' League of the Philippines and thus sits in the VMLP national board. Veloso is the conference director of the VMLP national convention which will be held in Bohol in July for the first time since the league's founding 25 years ago. (Ven rebo Arigo)