Anne Marie Gordon
OLONGAPO CITY – Raised by parents who both worked in government, Anne Marie Gordon knows by heart how to serve the public.
The former first lady of this chartered city in Zambales province said she is continuing the legacy of her parents by helping lift people out of poverty.
Her father was a soldier and her mother served as a public school teacher.
Anne said she wanted to serve even more people through her bid to become Olongapo City mayor in the May 13 midterm elections.
The wife of former Mayor James “Bong” Gordon Jr., Anne is no longer new to public service as she was elected vice governor of Zambales from 2007 to 2010.
She was appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III as a member of the board of directors of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority from 2012 to 2013.
Integrity, trust
“I have a track record [in public service]. I also worked in the US Embassy in Manila as an investigator. When it comes to integrity and trust, I earned those when I worked in the embassy,” she told the Inquirer on Thursday.
Her candidacy is being challenged by Rolen Paulino Jr., son of her erstwhile political rival and outgoing mayor, Rolen Paulino.
Anne and Mayor Paulino ran against each other in the 2013 election, which saw Paulino emerging as winner.
After the election, Anne went on to live a private life and handled their family business, noting that defeat was part of running for an elective post.
Anne and the elder Paulino were supposed to face each other again in the coming elections but the mayor withdrew his candidacy and fielded his 28-year-old son as his substitute.
Paulino and several other local officials, mostly councilors, were serving their six-month suspension as ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman before the campaign period.
The officials were found guilty of simple misconduct over the long-term lease of government property just outside the Subic Bay Freeport to a giant mall.
Working hard
Since the start of the campaign, Anne said she was working hard to get her message across.
“You really have to convince people that there’s something that you will [and can do] do for them,” she said.
If elected, among her top priorities include improving the facilities and services of the government-run James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital, she said.
“I want people from Olongapo to avail themselves of complete hospital care,” she said.
She said her brother-in-law, former Olongapo mayor and now Sen. Richard Gordon, had been supportive of her mayoral bid and had been campaigning hard for her.
“Senator [Gordon] worked hard to make Olongapo City a model city. This is his hometown. He is like a professor who always teaches people about values,” Anne said.
Anne said she knew how it was to live in poverty, recalling how her parents’ incomes could barely support her and her eight siblings.
It is for this reason, she said, that her campaign advocacy is to provide livelihood to people as a long-term solution to poverty.