Panglao town councilor passes away

TAGBILARAN CITY—Former mayor and incumbent town councilor Benedicto Alcala of Panglao town, Bohol passed away on Monday morning.

He was 73.

His family has yet to reveal the cause of his death.

Panglao Mayor Leonila Paredes-Montero said Alcala was her “kumpare,” being the godfather of her second child, Panglao Councilor Amira Alia Montero-Caindec.

“I sincerely thank him for having led the town during his incumbency,” Montero said in a statement.

The late president Corazon Aquino appointed Alcala as officer-in-charge of Panglao from November 1986 to November 1987.

Alcala, who served as mayor for three consecutive terms from 1988 to 1997, instituted the “Hudyaka sa Panglao Festival” that became the first and oldest festival in Bohol province.

From 1998 to 2001, he served as the town’s vice mayor.

He was elected mayor again from 2001 to 2004.

In 2004, Alcala ran but lost the mayoral race to Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan.

He won again in 2007 to 201 but lost to Montero in the 2013 elections.

In 2019, he was elected as the first councilor in the town.

He was remembered on Monday for his contributions to Panglao.