MONOPAL Team led by Bacolod Representative Monico Puentevella, former vice mayor Renecito Novero and former councilor Ana Marie Palermo scored Tuesday the propaganda tactics of the Leonardia administration.
In a press statement, the Monopal Team expressed its incredulity at the outrageous claims of Mayor Evelio Leonardia's lackeys in the broadcast and print media who have launched a full-scale smear and character assassination campaign against Puentevella.
Puentevella, the mayoralty front-runner, had topped all three independent surveys conducted by Random Access Consultants Inc. (Raci) for the reputable and top-rating broadcast network Bombo Radyo Phils.
"This gives credence to the claims of barangay captain Rocky Lizares that the Leonardia camp is hell-bent on discrediting Congressman Puentevella," the team said.
The party also said that such a move is a desperate ploy of the Leonardia camp because of the unstoppable climb and insurmountable lead of Puentevella in the Raci surveys, especially the most recent one.
Raci has an undisputed track record and has always been accurate in its social research surveys, the Monopal Team said.
"The Leonardia camp is trying to influence the mindset of the voters by besmirching the character of the congressman. However, it is his administration that has questionable ethics and morality," it added.
The team also laughed off the claims of Save Bacolod Movement that Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Bacolod and Puentevella are conspiring to rig the elections.
"The spin doctors of Leonardia have fertile imagination, albeit misguided," the party said. "Such an irresponsible claim based on alleged insider reports is, in the local parlance, kutso-kutso (hearsay)."
"Attempting to sell the idea is not only insulting to the intelligence of the Bacolod voters but humiliating on the part of our Comelec Bacolod Election Officer, Atty. Ryan Castro, his staff and his family," the team said.
Defense
Former president of the Rotary Club of Bacolod-North and former team leader of Rotary GSE Team of District 385 to Argentina (1982) Dr. Eduardo Ordoñez, however, testified Tuesday that the text messages being circulated in Bacolod City against Mayor Leonardia are completely false and baseless.
The text message being circulated reads: "In 1982, Bing Leonardia was part of the group exchange team of rotary foundation representing district 385 that went to Argentina, Leonardia was deported because he molested the child of his foster parent. Ask any Bacolod Rotarian for confirmation what a shame!!!"
Ordoñez said Leonardia was a credit to the Rotary GSE team to Argentina that he headed.
Ordoñez issued a statement in the interest of truth and fairness and to protect the integrity of the GSE program of Rotary Foundation International Inc.
Councilor Greg Gasataya, campaign manager of Grupo Progreso, said the acts of their political opponents are all signs of desperation, "which is caused by the imagination of persons who fear they are losing this coming election."
Gasataya claimed their political opponents use this kind of black propaganda in order to destroy the image of the city mayor and to distract his candidacy.
He said these are all lies and baseless accusations against Mayor Leonardia, noting that even the former president of said rotary club clarified that these accusations are baseless.
Gasataya believes that their political opponents are now desperate, "and that they resort to cheap political gimmicks in order to destroy their opponent."
He said these acts are an insult to the intelligence of voters in Bacolod, adding that this will never affect the candidacy of Mayor Leonardia.
He noted that the Grupo Progreso is a victim of the propaganda of their political opponents, but it is intact and solid as a winning team. (Merlinda Pedrosa)