Ben Madilynn
MANNING HIS POST As Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. goes about the day’s business, Felix—the resident “rat control officer” at City Hall—stays within reach. The mayor says the place has been rodent-free since Felix got here in 2019. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ANGELES CITY—Will Felix be working in Congress?
The next life (out of the nine) that awaits the male cat—the resident “rat control officer” in the office of Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr.—will also be decided in May 2025.
This is after Lazatin, his human, filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) as congressman of Pampanga’s first district on Tuesday.
“He is expected to move to Congress,” Lazatin said in a Facebook post as he confirmed his plan to take Felix to the House of Representatives, should he win a seat there.
Rescued
As of Friday, Lazatin has no challenger yet for the House post.
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His brother, incumbent Pampanga First District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin II, filed his COC as mayor of Angeles City.
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In the mayor’s social media post, Felix is shown while on duty, curiously inspecting stacks and boxes of documents, on the tables and underneath, for any rodent infiltration.
The mayor’s pet was rescued as a kitten that was found abandoned at the City Hall premises in August 2019.
Lazatin’s executive assistant, Reina Manuel, named him Felix, according to Irish Calaguas, the chief consultant of the mayor.
Felix has not fathered any offspring—at least as far as City Hall knows—as he has been neutered in line with measures to control the feline population in the local government compound and nearby shopping malls.
“Though he doesn’t show off his dead prey, Felix has made the office rat-free since we adopted him five years ago,” Calaguas told the Inquirer by phone on Thursday.
Recognition
Felix considers the mayor’s office pantry his home, though at times he can be found lazing around the conference room.
The mayor, known as a stickler for order and cleanliness, has been consistently recognized for his programs in good governance.
He is largely credited with making Angeles City the fifth most improved local government unit in the competitiveness index of the Department of Trade and Industry, and the sixth highest nationwide in tax collection efficiency as rated by the Bureau of Local Government Finance.
During the pandemic, the Department of the Interior and Local Government also cited Angeles City as one of the 23 highly urbanized cities to first achieve “herd immunity” against COVID-19. The agency also recognized the city’s antidrug programs for being highly functional.
Any objections?
But as to Felix, it is yet to be seen if Lazatin’s plans for him will be as welcome.
Should Felix’s human win in next year’s polls and take the cat to Congress with him, will there be objections on the floor? (Or in the hallways, ceilings, etc.?)
Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., a third-termer representing the third district of Pampanga, said stray cats had never been known to pose a problem in the House premises.
Sharon Yap, education officer of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, sees no violation of the Animal Welfare Act if Felix is relocated and just allowed to do his old job.
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“As long as the animal is not harmed or hurt,” Yap said. INQ
