Town unveils Greg monument as Magpale, Davide pay homage

ACCOLADES from incumbent and former officials were heaped on the late vice governor Greg Sanchez Jr. in his hometown of Tuburan, northwest Cebu, where a monument was unveiled in his honor yesterday.

In a speech delivered before Sanchez’s family, municipal officials and guests yesterday morning, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale described her predecessor as a “friend” and a true gentleman.

A gold-painted bust of Sanchez was unveiled at the Montecillo Park near the town plaza two days before his one-year death anniversary.

The unveiling was led by Sanchez’s eldest daughter Gigi Sanchez-Zaballero, their mother Leonida and uncle, Busay barangay captain Yodie Sanchez.

Liberal Party provincial chapter chairman Hilario “Junjun” Davide III said he remembers Sanchez as a humble man.

“He was an outstanding Tuburanon, an outstanding Filipino . . . ,” he said.

The event was witnessed by municipal officials of Tuburan led by Vice Mayor Dominador Pesiao Jr. A Mass was held before the unveiling.

Magpale recalled how she met Sanchez when he served as vice governor in 2004.

“I knew he always considered me a friend and he called on me twice during the time when there was an issue on the attack of his personality and the attack on his humble beginnings,” she said.

Magpale referred to the time when Sanchez was reelected under the Liberal Party (LP) banner.

“I knew how badly he felt. I saw the pain in his eyes… But he was very civil, he respected our opinions,” Magpale said.

She said she didn’t intervene in the cases filed by Sanchez whom he described as “very kind.”

Magpale said she also kept in touch with Gigi who is continuing her father’s complaint for usurpation against Gov. Gwen Garcia at the Department of Interior and Local Governments.

Yodie said a better testament to the late Sanchez’s works would have been the proposed Trans-axial Highway from north to south Cebu, which Sanchez, a civil engineer, championed but was never implemented.

It was a priority project of the Capitol until Sanchez and Garcia parted ways as political allies.