He described himself as young and energetic during his mayoral campaign. He deviated from the usual "handsome" description of himself because he admits that his brother, his archrival, is definitely much much handsome than him. He was considered an underdog because many believed that a chef (even as a graduate of Le Roche, Switzerland!?) fails in comparison against a lawyer in managing and running a simple but hardworking town of San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur.
I got a chance to meet Mayor Christian Abaya Purisima through my inaanak (binyag and kasal) RJ in his hometown of San Ildefonso while I was on a family trip to the northern provinces. We met him at the town's famous (and would become more famous) Bungro Ice Cream House. There, we were treated with healthy and exotic ice cream flavors. He told us that he wanted to encourage every barangay to have a product which they can concentrate on. So far, he had developed the basi in Gongogong town. They took advantage of the 200 year celebration of the Basi revolt which culminated in San Ildefonso (but started in Piddig). He improved the basi quality, packaged it and advertised it. Now it commands a price more than double its previous price. Basi had begun to be a promising drink not only in the Ilocos region but also elsewhere in the country and to foreigners (San Ildefonso ai the next town to Bantay and Vigan which are both tourist havens). Next, he developed the exotic healthy ice cream in Bungro town. Ice cream flavored with malunggay, ampalaya, papaya etc. are just some of the treats you may look forward to when you stop by the ice cream house in the town. Soon he will be beginning the soap industry in another barrio (Yobi).
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