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Monday, February 06, 2006
Local officials bolt Lakas party
KORONADAL CITY -- Two incumbent town mayors in South Cotabato and several other local officials have turned their backs to the ruling administration party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, making the province virtually a bastion of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC).
South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance Fuentes said Lakas stalwarts in the towns of Banga and Lake Sebu recently swore their allegiance to the Nationalist party last week.
These are mayors Isidro Janita of Banga and Basilio Salif of Lake Sebu.
The duo's abandoning of Lakas made South Cotabato province, which has 10 towns, a virtual NPC-dominated province.
Koronadal City Mayor Fernando Miguel, a staunch supporter of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, stuck it out with Lakas.
Koronadal is a component city of South Cotabato.
Salif said they decided to embrace the NPC because the party has been helping them develop their respective localities.
"We should adopt the party instrumental in our development," said Salif.
Besides Salif and Janita, at least two other municipal vice mayors and several councilors abandoned the Lakas party.
In the May 2004 elections, the NPC swept the 10 slots up for grabs in the Provincial Board race of South Cotabato.
Fuentes, provincial NPC chairperson, and her running mate Vice Governor Eliordo Ogena, were both reelected.
The NPC bets in the two congressional districts also defeated their respective rivals from Lakas.
These are Representative Arthur Pingoy Jr. (second district) and Representative Darlene Antonino Custodio (first district).
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(January 30, 2006 issue)
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