Lazatin filing charade ‘aims to fool Angeleños’

ANGELES CITY -- The brouhaha over the “photo ops” filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) last week by a mayoralty candidate in this city continues.

Alexander Cauguiran, president of the Partido Abe Kapampangan, thanked on Wednesday Irish Calaguas, chief of staff of Representative Carmelo Lazatin, for admitting that the lawmaker’s filing of his COC last Friday was all for show.

Records of the Commission on Elections showed a representative of Lazatin actually filed the COCs the day earlier (Thursday).

“Indeed, last I looked there is indeed no law against ‘stage filing’ (sic). They can, in fact, re-stage it all over again for all we care,” Cauguiran said. 

“But it appears Miss Calaguas, and probably his boss, misses the point of their admitted charade.  They were trying to fool the people; that’s the point,” he said.

Cauguiran said that such a statement and admission is an insult to the Angeleños.

“That is how pathetic their appreciation is of the sensibilities of the Angeleño voters. If we had not exposed their little zarzuela, they could have passed it as real,” he added.

Cauguiran said anyone who is less than honest to the people is capable of doing worse, like cheating in elections. 

“It is much worse for someone who is not even honest to himself,” he said.

Cauguiran also denied that city funds are being used for activities of the Partido Abe Kapampangan, like its community bingos and mass meetings. 

“I was personally involved in getting the support of sectors that believe in the brand of politics of our party.  That is where we get our bingo prizes,” he said.

As to Calaguas’s statement that Shanghai Restaurant has barred the party because it has not paid its debts, Cauguiran said: “It’s another lie.”

According to him, Partido Abe just held its party assembly at the restaurant last week and invited Calaguas to check on who paid the bills.

Cauguiran said Lazatin is actually scared of Partido Abe, that is why he is trying to discredit the party.

“It seems that aside from being bereft of new issues to hurl, they are now involved in hair splitting over old issues they keep harping on, even if we have already debunked these in various occasions and in more ways than one,” he said.

“But it is good that Lazatin has already spelled out his supposed platform of government.  That is good.  We just hope they put more details into their motherhood statements,” he stressed.

He said Lazatin talks about good governance, yet the Pamintuan administration is already winning accolades and awards from local and international bodies because of good governance and transparency.

Cauguiran said Angeles City never received the Local Governance Performance Management System certification from the Department of Interior and Local Government during the three terms of Lazatin as mayor, even though the award was revived in 1998.

“In 2010, we presented a very comprehensive and detailed program of government in the contract with Angeleños. Although we have achieved almost 90 percent of what we promised, we will continue with the program and expand on its coverage, including the road and infrastructure projects that were neglected in the past,” he said. 

“We will also expand our medical services program, particularly targeting the indigent families,” Cauguiran said.

But he challenged Lazatin to come out to the barangays and speak to villagers about his programs.

“Pareng Tarzan, may I beseech you to do as I do. As a responsible party leader, and not your spokesperson, go to the people and answer all their questions about your brand of governance and how you plan to uplift the lives of the Angeleños. Do not rely on your press releases. Bumaba ka sa iyong trono at harapin ang mga tao. Learn from them. Our people deserve nothing less than that. Take this chance to show the people that you are still physically fit and erase the cloud of doubt among Angeleños about your alleged failing health,” he said.