Newks, Vladi, 10 others raise MKK banner for 2013 polls

MAYORALTY candidate Monico Puentevella, his running mate Vladimir Gonzalez and the ten candidates for Councilor will raise the banner of the “Magbinuligay Kita sa Kauswagan” (MKK) for the 2013 polls.

Puentevella presented their slate Monday.

The MKK Team is composed of vice mayoralty candidate Vladimir Gonzalez of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and their candidates for councilor are Liberal Party (LP) chairman emeritus Andy Hagad and city chairman Frank Carbon, former councilors Jocelle Batapa Sigue and Ana Marie Palermo (both LP); Wilson Gamboa Jr. (Nationalista Party), lawyer Bong Dilag (PDP-Laban); May Cueva (non-government organization), mediamen Marlon Solidum and Ray Carmona (LP); and Puentevella’s son, Claude, who represents the youth sector.

Puentevella said they will reveal their two mystery candidates when they file their certificates of candidacy (COC) Wednesday at 8:15 a.m. He said one of them is female and the other is a male lawyer.

He added that MKK is a collation of the LP-PDP-Laban and NP and their group is a mixture of business, lawmakers, youth and experience.

Puentevella, who ran under the Lakas Party in 2010, said he is running as independent candidate.

Gonzalez said they have a very good and dynamic team which is offering transparent and consultative politics.

Gonzalez lost the mayoralty race in the 2010 elections with Gamboa as his running mate.

Puentevella said he has chosen Gonzalez to be his running mate over former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero and his former party mate Councilor Archie Baribar because Gonzalez is more on the business side and could help bring in more investors to Bacolod.

Asked about his relationship with the group of Baribar, which include Councilor El Cid Familiaran, Sonya Verdeflor and Elmer Sy, Puentevella said he loves them and that he wishes them good luck.

Meanwhile, Batapa-Sigue presented the team’s vision and agenda during a press conference Monday. She said their first agenda is good governance which is participatory and consensus-oriented.

She said they also hope to provide livelihood and skills training, education, responsive health care, sustainable environment, business development and infrastructure, effective social services, dynamic tourism programs, sports development programs, and information technology development.

Sigue is the chairman of the National Committee on Information Technology while Palermo was former lawyer of the Pubic Attorney’s Office (PAO) and was former City Legal Officer and a three-termer councilor of Bacolod.

Hagad, Batapa-Sigue, Dilag and Palermo are lawyers

Carbon is the president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), while Dilag is an ex-seminarian, law professor, and former official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Carmona is the anchorman of “Banwa Binagninaga” program over DYAF Radyo Veritas while Solidum hosts “Singgit Bacolod” over cable TV.

Cueva has been involved in community service for 12 years while Claude Puentevella is a former athlete who represented the city in the Palarong Pambansa. (Carla N. Canet)