5 Questions with Cebu City Congressional Aspirant Aven Piramide

by The Cebuano · May 4, 2022

Despite his long list of achievements as an educator, author, columnist, civil servant, and lawyer, little is known about Avenescio Aven A. Piramide. Exactly who is Aven Piramide? Aside from being a celebrated lawyer, Atty. Aven Piramide has pretty much stayed away from the limelight to focus on things that he truly cares for and are passionate about. Now that he is running for Congress in Cebu City North District, it is high time to get to know Aven a little bit more.

Aven Piramide

Aven Piramide, first and foremost, is a lawyer, with a rich and extensive 23-year experience. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Bachelor of Arts and, later, Cum Laude in Bachelor of Laws. He then taught in the College of Law of the University of the Visayas handling Political Law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Law of Public Officers, Public Corporation, and Political Review. From 1988 to 1992, Aven was a Cebu City Councilor during which he worked on the Garbage Collection System (CO 1295 which is the mother ordinance of CO 1361).

Aven Piramide also has extensive experience in civil service. In fact, he has served as the Director of Legal Affairs in the Office of the Executive Secretary in Malacañan during the time of President Fidel Valdez Ramos. He is a sought-after resource person of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Additionally, he is one of the country’s top authorized codifiers of ordinances, and is the only one who has codified all existing ordinances of at least eight local government units.

As a writer and author, Aven has produced literature on topics like the Philippine Civil Service System, Marine Laws and Ship Business, and more! He is also the man behind The Freeman column, “Off Tangent,” which appeared twice a week in the paper.

Five Questions

This week, The Cebuano, together with other local bloggers, sat down with Aven Piramide to pick his brain about some of the most pressing issues hounding the city and to get to know more about his platforms should he get elected as Congressman in Cebu City North District.

Q: Tells us about yourself.

Aven Piramide: There are many Cebuano leaders coming from different parts of the Visayas who are uncomfortable claiming their roots. Many of them would rather say they are just pure Cebuanos. But I was born in Bohol, I’m proud to be born in Bohol. I was born in Candijay, Bohol. I finished my elementary education in Candijay, Bohol. And I’m very proud of my teachers in Candijay Elementary School. Before I moved to Leyte for my first two years in high school and to Bohol for my third and fourth year high school years until now. So, that’s a short part of my story. Next question.

Q: If ever you’ll be in Congress, what are you planned legislations?

Aven Piramide: “Ako tingali lahi nga kandidato. Kay karon pa lang, I have written and prepared 14 bills nga dili pa ko Congressman. And I promise the people nga akong ma-estoryahan nga kung mapili kong Congressman, first day in office, I will file all these bills with the secretariat of the congress and request the leadership of Congress nga kung mahimo, maset-up ni for motion for legislation. Because there are three major steps: First reading, second reading, and third reading. Kay naglaom ko nga before the end of my term, most if not all of these bills mahimong balaod.”

Q: Why the congressional seat?

Aven Piramide: “I served the city as a City Councilor in 1988. And kung imo man tan-awon, that most effective functioning ordinance that is used by the city today, I wrote it in 1988 – the Garbage Ordinance. Nobody has dared to amend it or to repeal it. And so it remains to be effective and functional. And so my mind is trained on law-making. My thought processes are on legislation. It happened nga in 1988 I was a local legislator.”

Q3: Should you fail to win and if given a position (local or national), would you accept it?

Aven Piramide: “I’ll tell you this: I’m not running for myself. Not for fame, not for honor, not for glory. I’m doing this because I fell I could serve what Ramon Magsaysay said. Before Magsaysay died, he said: “Those who have less in life must have more in law.” I realized that naa na ko sa pre-departure area. Honestly. Wa nako gitago na nga I am not young any more. So, nagtuo ko nga if I can just do one thing and make sure that the 14 bills and maybe more nga akong giandam mahimong balaud, ako nang legacy sa mga taw. Imagina ra gud, kung ang mga squatters karon, sometime in the future would say, “Kung wa pa si Congressman Aven Piramide, pabilin tang squatters.”

Q: Why should the Cebu City North District choose you?

Aven Piramide: “Uno, tungod kay ang abogado haum sa gobyerno. Dos, tungod kay I have bills which in my explanation to the audiences, madayon sa mga taw. Maklaro nila nga para gyud sa katawhan. And imagina lang. Ako ray kandidato nga lahi sa uban. Karon pa lang nag-andam na kog balaudnon nga ready na to file. Busa nagtuo ko nga musalig ang mga taw nako, especially nga akong record sa konseho tarong. Ug way usa, nakasiguro ko ana, nga maka-akusar nako for anything wrong. I made sure that my name would never be tarnished with any corrupt ideas.”

Q: Who is your president?

Aven Piramide: “That is a very good question. I have been asked that question all over. Pero I am Lakas-CMD Party man. Lakas Christian Muslim Democrat. Now, I’ll tell you the story to tell you what I believe in. On I think November 3 or November 4, one month after the filing of the certificates of candidacy. A candidate for Mayor of Davao withdrew her certificate of candidacy. Her name is Sara Duterte.

After she withdrew her candidacy as mayor, nitipon sa among partido – Lakas-CMD. Unya, a day or two later, gipili niya among, gisubstitute sa among candidate for vice president. So, she became a standard-bearer of Lakas-CMD for Vice President. Although kaming taga ubos, wala mi kahibaw. Igo na lang mi dawat sa reason nga mao na among vice presidential candidate. So partymen that we are, ok ra.

Four days, I think later, our candidate for Vice President Sara Duterte, nakighinabi sa three other parties. And there was a formal writing of a coalition paper among Lakas-CMD as one party, the second party Partido Federal ng Pilipinas – ang ilang pangulo si Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., unya ang Pwersa nga Masang Pilipino ni Former President Joseph Estrada, unya pud ang Hugpong. Upat ka partido formed a Uniteam. Unya by virtue of this uniteam, nahimo nga presidential candidate sa upat ka partido si Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Apil na kintahay ang Lakas-CMD. Although tungod kay kaming taga ubos, partymen man mi, mapugos mi ug ingon ana. But I have not openly campaigned for Ferdinand Marcos. Mao nay akong tubag ninyo. While he carries the Team Uniteam where I am a party of, I have not openly campaigned for him.