BY: CELSO M. CAJUCOM

CUYAPO, Nueva Ecija – A word war has erupted between neophyte Mayor Jose Hidalgo Jr. and Vice Mayor Florida Paguio-Esteban in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.

The dispute began after Hidalgo threatened to resign if Esteban could prove her claim that 95 percent of the town’s road networks were completed during her 2016–2025 tenure as mayor.

The two local chief executives have been embroiled in a heated war of words since Sunday. The dispute has already gone viral on the social Facebook page.

According to recent reports, the “word war” in this town, intensified with Mayor and Vice Mayor exchanging pointed remarks about the town’s road infrastructure.

Hidalgo has taken a cynical and unusual approach to promoting tourism in the town.

The neophyte mayor, a retired police general, stated during a forum with other mayors from the League of Municipalities-Nueva Ecija chapter that he plans to rebrand Cuyapo as Nueva Ecija’s “Motorcycle Capital”.

Reports on the “word war” between the town officials indicated that Vice Mayor Esteban, a physician and former three-term mayor, alleged issued a direct challenge to the statement made by the mayor.

In a social media post, Hidalgo retorted, “Show me the 95% completed road network in our town, and I will resign as mayor. That way, you can be the ‘puppet mayor’ once again, the same one who claimed innocence and ignorance regarding those questionable projects.”

Addressing her claim of 57.115 kilometers of paved roads, the mayor added, “Don’t worry, I will personally verify this. I will measure everything inch by inch and expose the true cost of those projects to the people”, said Hidalgo.

Esteban countered the mayor’s claim that the town’s poor road infrastructure could be a tourist attraction and when she left office, 90–95 percent of the town’s main roads were already paved, with a total length of 57.115 kilometers- citing data from the municipal engineering office.

She also clarified on social media that her claim specifically referred to the main roads within the town and its barangays, not the more remote, unpaved areas. She also invited people to verify this information with the engineering office.

“Kung babasahin nyo pong mabuti ang comment ko, I’m talking of main roads in our town and barangays, not the hinterlands and remote areas that have yet to be cemented,” the vice mayor explained.

Vice Mayor Esteban also urged Hidalgo to verify her claims by stating, “Those are facts, you can check it out with our department of engineering at the town hall.” However, her appeal for a factual check triggered a heated and personal response from the retired police general-turned-mayor.

During her social media post, Esteban, expressed her confusion at the mayor’s intense reaction, stating: “Why is he fighting me?”, what she claimed was just her opinion.”