Actor eyeing Ecija town post

PANTABANGAN, Nueva Ecija, Philippines – Movie and television actor Jason Abalos has confirmed he is running as councilor of this town in the 2016 elections.

Abalos, a native of Barangay Poblacion West, said Mayor Lucio Uera convinced him to try his hand at politics.

The 30-year-old Abalos said he wants to help uplift the lives of his townmates and promote his hometown as a tourist spot.

The actor said he took pity on his townmates, particularly the municipal employees who have not been receiving their salaries for over seven months now.

The situation was due to a struggle between Mayor Uera and Vice Mayor Ruben Huerta, who both claim to be the legitimate mayor.

“Pantabangan is in a mess. Employees are not getting their salaries for the longest time, so I want to step in to help make a difference,” said Abalos, whose father Esmeraldo, is chief of Barangay West Poblacion.

He said the Uera camp has long been wooing him to join their slate.

Before joining showbusiness in 2004, Abalos studied at the Pantabangan Elementary School and St. Andrews School, both in this town, and at the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology in Cabanatuan City where he finished a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.