At 31, David Albert Lacson is the youngest elected mayor of E.B. Magalona.

He became the chief executive of the town seven years after he joined the political arena when he was elected No. 1 councilor of E. B. Magalona. He admits his uncle, Daniel Lacson, former governor of Negros Occidental, was largely instrumental in his taking a political career. "Idol ko si Tito Bitay. He was an inspiration in my joining politics," he said, adding: "Sa iya ko nakita ang huyog ko sa politika." Mayor David Albert is the son of Bartolome Lacson, brother of the former governor.

A scion of a prominent Lacson family in Negros Occidental, David Albert got the biggest surprise and a bonus of his early political career when he became the vice mayor of E.B. Magalona after elected Vice-Mayor Romulo Rhoel Mogul served as mayor for more than two years, due to an electoral protest filed against Mayor Alfonso Gamboa, whom he eventually defeated in the May election. Lacson won in what is apparently the closest mayoralty race in the town - by 192 votes. His popularity as a public official steadily rising, the young Lacson, at 27, was elected vice mayor in the 2004 election. While he belongs to the landed gentry, Lacson easily blends with the masses in his visits to the villages. "Since I was small and having been brought by my dad to our farm often, I have loved to mingle, enjoy and feel being at ease with the ordinary people," he said.

If the new mayor of the town has shown his savvy in politics, it's not only because of the inspiration he got from Uncle Daniel, whose son, Patrick, has been elected Board Member of the Third District also in the May 2007 election. His two uncles have also provided him practical political insights useful in serving his E. B. Magalona constituents. There's Julio Ledesma IV, his uncle who has regained his seat in congress representing the First District, and another uncle, Rep. Jose Carlos Lacson of the Third District. His mother, Paz Rubin Lacson, is the second cousin of Vice-Governor Isidro Zayco and Kabankalan Mayor Pedro Zayco.

The new mayor said he will give priority to the cleanliness program for the whole town in the First 100 Days of his administration, citing among others, the piling up of garbage -- actually plastic materials used for recycling purposes -- behind Wilkinson Hall, which is located near the town hall.

He is looking forward to the all-out support promised by Cong. Lacson and Gov.Joseph Maranon in implementing his priority concern, adding he will address the drainage problem, rehabilitate and clean the public market and plaza, refurbish the municipal hall and acquire a new fire truck. Explaining his immediate thrust, Mayor Lacson said: "Who will ever come and invest in a dirty town?"

Since he was the vice mayor, Lacson has been fighting for the acquisition of a firetruck, saying we should have learned from the experiences of the towns of Valladolid and Ilog where their church areas were destroyed in blazes which were not immediately controlled because their fire trucks were no longer operational.

The new mayor also promised to give priority to infrastructure projects, like farm-to-market roads and development of fishports in Brgys. Manta-angan and Tuburan in E.B. Magalona. Another pressing concern, he added, is the construction of a water break facility in Brgy. Tomongtong, saying it faces the danger of disappearing from the map of the town if the problem is not given immediate attention.

The new mayor, a former junior golf champion, stresses the need for teamwork as he looks forward to the cooperation of the entire community and the Sanggunian in the realization of his dreams for the town. On the legislative side, it appears the days ahead will be smooth sailing. Of the eight elected Sanggunian members, five belong to Lacson's party, the national People's Coalition - United Negros Alliance.

There must be a unity in the community and between the legislative and executive branches of the government, despite the separation of powers if we are to succeed in our vision to improve the quality of life in our town, he said.