Tuesday, May 15, 2007 3 Garcias to get Lakas ERs in Cebu
LEADERS of the Lakas-CMD party authorized Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as well as congressional bets Pablo Garcia and Pablo John Garcia to receive the election returns and other accountable forms.
The Garcias, though, have left Lakas-CMD and formed One Cebu party, which later allied with President Arroyo’s Kampi party.
Lakas-CMD, headed by House Speaker Jose de Venecia, has been declared by the Commission on Elections as the dominant majority party while the Liberal Party is the dominant minority.
The authorization signed by Raymundo T. Roquero, Lakas-CMD national executive director, states that the Garcias are authorized “to receive all accountable forms on the May 14, 2007 national and local elections, including election returns and certificate of canvass intended for Lakas-CMD.”
Clarification
The opposition in Cebu will ask for clarification on the authorization.
Pablo, father of Gwendolyn and himself a former governor, is Kampi’s second district congressional candidate, while his son Pablo John is running for the third district congressional seat.
Lakas-CMD and Kampi are part of the Arroyo administration’s Team Unity. But in Cebu, the local candidates of the two parties are at odds.
Reps. Antonio Yapha and Clavel Martinez are challenging Gwendolyn and Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. for the province top two posts.
Yapha and Martinez, although allied with Lakas-CMD, are running under Partido Demokratikong Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, because of the Team Unity-One Cebu alliance.
But Yapha’s family members are seeking elective office under Lakas.
His wife, Provincial Board Member Estrella Yapha, is running against Pablo John.
Their daughter Geral-dine is aiming to become mayor of Pinamungajan town in Cebu’s third district. Geraldine’s brother Jeffrey is her running mate.
Recognition
For Gwendolyn, Lakas’ move is recognition of the Garcias’ leadership.
“It’s a vote of confidence for One Cebu, a recognition of our leadership, of our strength in the entire province as a political party and now the recognized leading group…. I’m flattered and perhaps also, I feel now vindicated that after all, in Cebu, unity is possible. This unity gives us political strength that is now being recognized by Lakas and other political parties as well,” she said.
Pablo said, though, that he was surprised because they did not ask for it.
“Lakas-CMD is realistic enough to see the actual situation in Cebu,” Pablo said.
Lawyer Rore John Sepulveda, one of the governor’s legal counsels, said that based on the authorization issued by Lakas, the governor delegates the mayors and the watchers at the precinct level under her party to get these documents. (MBG/KNT)
