|
Thursday, February 15, 2007
No full support for Arroyo team
By Jeanette P. Malinao & Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- For this May's elections, senatorial candidates will have to work on their own to get the support of political parties in Cebu, instead of relying heavily on the backing of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo or opposition leaders.
Like other local groups, the camp of Rep. Clavel Martinez announced Wednesday they will also refuse to adopt a solid senatorial slate.
Post your Valentine's Day greetings
"We will endorse selectively," said Martinez in a telephone interview with Sun. Star Cebu.
Martinez is leader of Cebu's fourth district, which has been known to deliver solid votes in previous elections. As of now, however, some of the mayors allied with her already pledged support to the Martinezes' rival in the last elections, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
When asked whether she will attend this Saturday's launching in Cebu of President Arroyo's senatorial lineup, if invited, Martinez replied, "I don't think so."
She said her group has yet to decide whom to support for senator.
Garcia, for her part, will grace this Saturday's event as part of protocol, which requires that she be with Arroyo whenever the President visits here, according to Capitol consultant Pablo John Garcia.
But Pablo John stressed the governor's presence will not mean One Cebu is automatically endorsing Arroyo's "unity ticket."
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced Wednesday he will not be supporting at least one administration senatorial candidate since he will be campaigning for Loren Legarda instead.
The mayor said he owes Legarda for showing up in his youth political rally when he sought reelection as city mayor in 2001, despite requests from the opposition not to do so.
Osmeña did not support Legarda's vice presidential bid in 2004. "But now that she's running for senator, I'm not going to abandon her even if she didn't ask for it," he said.
Personal
"It's a personal accommodation on my part, I'm not going to hide that. And it's also a favor that I'll be asking the Cebuanos to support her...I just want to make it clear that it's a personal request on my part because when I needed her, she was there," Osmeña said of Legarda.
He said, though, that he will not be campaigning for Legarda during the rallies of the administration's Senate ticket.
The mayor doesn't know yet what the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan's (BO-PK) role will be in the Team Unity political rally here this Saturday, saying they were told about it on short notice.
He also has not discussed with the party members what they will be doing during the rally.
Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) will "certainly be" at the Saturday rally, though.
For her part, the governor was informed about this Saturday's activity by Secretary Gabriel Claudio, Arroyo's political adviser. But Pablo John said they don't know who are invited to the gathering.
"We will choose whom to support on the condition that they sign a covenant (against splitting Cebu)," Pablo John reiterated.
Apparently, gone are the days when national parties could expect which camp of Senate aspirants Cebu's political elite will vote for.
Screening
Aside from One Cebu and Martinez's declaration of selective support, the ruling parties of the fifth and first districts refused to coalesce with One Cebu because they want independence in choosing their candidates.
The Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) of the Durano clan and Alayon of Rep. Eduardo Gullas support Garcia but will choose on their own the senatorial candidates they will include in their sample ballots.
Also Wednesday, Rep. Luis Villafuerte reportedly said that One Cebu party is applying to be a member of Kampi, but Pablo John stressed that it is the senatorial candidates who "court, woo or even get down on their knees" before local parties so they would get endorsed-and not the other way around.
Likewise, Osmeña reiterated his stand not to support the administration's senatorial candidates who will not sign the covenant of support for the campaign against the bills to create three more provinces in Cebu.
"The ones who will not sign it are the ones we will not be supporting. If they won't sign, we will not even consider them. That's the screening process," he added. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (February 15, 2007 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
