Vice governor ‘bypassed’

VICE Gov. Agnes Magpale won’t be acting governor, while Gov. Gwen Garcia is out of town. She didn’t get a written notice.

“Di man na problema sa ako (I don’t mind). “I’m not complaining about it,” Magpale said.

She said Garcia will be back in a day or two so there’s no need for her to sit in as acting governor.

Under the law, if the governor travels within the country for less than three days, she does not need to appoint an officer-in-charge, said Capitol spokesperson Atty. Rory Jon Sepulveda.

Mindanao trip

He said normally Governor Garcia is back at the office less than a day after extending financial assistance to neighboring provinces that experienced calamities.

The governor reportedly flew to South Cotabato yesterday for a meeting.

Garcia earlier announced her intention to run for senator in next year’s elections under the United Nationalist Alliance.

Although Garcia thanked the fifth district’s Barug Alang sa Kalambuan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) Party for announcing that it would support her bid, the governor has chosen not to publicly discuss Magpale’s rejection of One Cebu Party’s offer to be the runningmate of One Cebu’s gubernatorial bet Rep. Pablo John Garcia’s (Cebu, 3rd district). Bakud Party opted to let Magpale, a party member, run with Liberal Party
(LP) candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III as his runningmate.

The Bakud leadership has been conducting dialogues with leaders in different municipalities to get their sentiments on the Barug-LP alliance, which was hatched last June 21 in Malacañang.

However, Danao City Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III, Bakud chairman, did not divulge what transpired during their sorties in the towns of Tudela, Pilar, Poro and San Francisco in Camotes Island.

President Benigno Aquino III will reportedly be in Danao City on July 7 to officially announce the Bakud-LP coalition.

Former Compostela mayor Ritchie Wagas, for his part, predicted an uphill battle for Nito in the fifth district.

Loyal to One Cebu

He said he and the groups of former Danao City mayor Jesus “Don” Durano, incumbent Danao City Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano Jr. and One Cebu of Governor Garcia are forming “Free Kinto,” which means to free the fifth district of the influence and alleged dictatorial policy of Nito.

Ritchie’s brother Gilbert, former Compostela mayor, also identified seven mayors who will stick with One Cebu and support Pablo John’s gubernatorial bid. They are Mayors Duke Frasco of Liloan, Gerald Villamor of Carmen, Butch Sepulveda of Borbon, Ali Arquillano of San Francisco, Boy Rama of Puro and Jesus Ferandez of Pilar.

Gilbert said the Garcia-led political alliance may field Frasco for congressman against former tourism secretary Ace Durano. Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI (Cebu, 5th district), Ace’s brother, is on his last term.

Frasco is the governor’s son-in-law. He is married to her daughter Christina.

When asked to comment, Pablo John said he has yet to talk with these mayors.

“The truth is I have not sat down with any of these mayors in the fifth district. I don’t know about Governor Gwen, whether she has talked to them and what they talked about. Definitely, Governor Gwen has had long working and personal relationships with these mayors. Maybe what is important is these relationships. Relasyon, dili koalisyon,” he said. (FMG)