Last-term Valencia Mayor Kat Lim, the youngest mayor in the province at age 31, confirmed that she is being eyed as an administration bet for the third congressional district, a seat currently held by neophyte solon Rep. Alexie Tutor.
Lim’s statement came after rumors surfaced indicating that Governor Arthur Yap had tapped her to run under his slate during the 2022 Presidential Elections.
According to Lim, mayors in the district who are allied with Yap nominated her to run for the congressional seat and it was not the governor who automatically chose her as his candidate for the post.
“Actually dili si gov jud ang ni offer. He was asking some of the mayors of the 3rd district kung para nila kinsay angayan mo run for cong and ni gawas atong name,” she said.
Lim said that she is open to run for one of Bohol’s three congressional seats but noted that her candidacy is not set in stone with the polls still more than a year away.
According to Lim, she will be more comfortable to run for a post in the Provincial Board.
“Open, yes. But there are still a lot of factors to consider. Mas sayon kung BM.” Murag ari ra kos BM,” she said.
Lim said that she is unaware of her colleagues’ reasons for nominating her to run for the seat.
But the young mayor whose family is known to be financially well off is optimistic that she was chosen due to factors other than her perceived ability to fund a congressional campaign.
“I dont know kung unsay mga reasons nila pod. And i would like to presume that the mayors will not only nominate me for that factor alone,” she said.
With the elections still about 17 months away, no official confirmation has been made regarding Lim’s candidacy under the administration ticket.
However, Lim has been seen with Yap in Capitol activities outside of her town including rice aid distribution in municipalities.
The third district is known to be Yap’s bailiwick after being elected congressman of the district for three straight terms from 2010 to 2019.
Although Yap’s gubernatorial candidacy was heavily boosted by support from the third district during the 2019 polls, his congressional candidate former Judge Caloy Fernando was walloped by Tutor. (R. Tutas)