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Thursday, January 29, 2004
Mayoralty aspirant's firm to cut ties with developer
By Lizanilla Amarga, Joey Nacalaban
CITY mayoralty bet Antonio Soriano announced his law firm would cut off ties with huge client UKC Builders, Inc. once he gets elected as chief executive of the city.
This came as third-term incumbent vice-mayor John Elizaga said there are more qualified candidates to take his place than City Councilor Michelle Tagarda.
Manolo Tagarda, a former city mayor and councilor and Michelle's father, clarified that he won't cast his vote for his own daughter and would be campaigning for the entire opposition slate under Soriano.
Meanwhile, Soriano said there won't be any backing down on his bid for city mayor under the united opposition Kilusang Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).
He debunked reports that he was not brought in by local administration party PaDayon Pilipino (PDP) leader Mayor Vicente Emano to sow dissension in the opposition party PDP-Laban.
"Mawad-an ako ana ug nawong nga ipakita sa akong pamilya, amigo ug sa publiko (I would lose face to my family, friends and to the public)," he told reporters.
Soriano clarified that he is not the lawyer of UKC Builders, Inc. but Atty. Armando Kho, one of the lawyers in his law firm.
Act of disloyalty
UKC Builders, Inc. is the one and only contractor who have been receiving all the major multi-million project contracts since Emano took over.
The mayor and UKC Builders, Inc. reportedly have more than a government-private firm relationship as the latter has now been awarded over P1 billion in city projects.
"Pero akong putlon ang relasyon sa akong law firm ug sa UKC kung makuha kita nga mayor sa dakbayan kay conflict of interest naman dayon kana (But I will cut the relationship my law firm and UKC has should I be voted in as mayor of the city as this is conflict of interest)," he said.
Still in local politics, Elizaga said while he respects Emano's decision to have Councilor Tagarda as the PaDayon Pilipino vice-mayoralty candidate there are others just or more than qualified to become candidates.
"There are more qualified than Michelle Tagarda to run for vice-mayor among the other City Councilors," he said over an interview with ABS-CBN.
Meanwhile, Michelles' father Manolo said he would not be campaigning for her daughter to win as vice-mayor of the city.
He told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro on Sunday that he has already given his word to support the entire slate of the local united opposition party under Soriano.
"As much as I want to support her it would make me inconsistent as I have already given my word...to support Michelle would be an act of disloyalty to the opposition," he said.
Tagarda said it is painful on his part not to support the councilor since she is his daughter but added that it was her fault for breaking her word not to run.
"She already gave her word not to run even in the morning of the last filing of candidacy last Jan. 5 at 9:00 a.m. but in the evening she filed her certificate of candidacy," he said in Visayan.
The older Tagarda said something mysterious and drastic may have happened that forced his daughter to listen to Emano more than her family.
(January 26, 2004 issue)
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