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Sunday, March 11, 2007
Arroyo surprises 2 Cebu meetings
By Jujemay G. Awit and Oscar C. Pineda
CEBU CITY -- Within days after she announced she will not campaign this year and instead focus on her administration’s economic goals, President Arroyo surprised two gatherings in Cebu Saturday by showing up unannounced, her Senate candidates in tow.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
Before proceeding to Bohol after her three-day visit in Cebu, President Arroyo made an unscheduled appearance at the Healthy Lifestyle Summit of the National Confederation of Barangay Health Workers (NCBHW) at the Cebu Coliseum.
Except for actor Cesar Montano, the entire Team Unity senatorial slate accompanied the President Saturday morning.
Arroyo also surprised Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza’s candidates when she briefly appeared in their meeting of leaders at the sports complex.
She asked the leaders to support her Team Unity, as she showed her support for Radaza and Rep. Nerissa Soon Ruiz (Cebu, 6th district). With the President was Bukidnon Rep. Miguel Zubiri, who is running for senator.
Cebu Provincial Board Member Gabriel Luis Quisumbing, the Lakas district chairman who may run for Congress against Ruiz, was also there to meet Arroyo.
But both district leaders put aside their differences as they were there to support Radaza and the President.
Arroyo’s surprise appearances came days after she said she is leaving the task of campaigning for the administration bets to the local candidates.
8 by ‘08
The President had said she will focus on governance, particularly in realizing her targets by 2008.
Her “8 by ‘08" goals cover job creation, a better cost of living, a strong peso, more investments, pro-poor education, pro-poor health care, housing and food, green Philippines and a strong anti-terrorism campaign.
“Into your hands I commend the fate of Team Unity,” the President told local officials gathered last Thursday for the end-term national assembly of the Philippine Councilors’ League held in Cebu.
More than 5,000 barangay health workers (BHWs) from all over the country were surprised by Arroyo’s visit Saturday. Not even the regional Philippine Information Agency (PIA) was aware of the stopover, only NCBHW president Ermelinda Abadiano.
Arroyo encouraged her senatorial candidates to look after the BHWs because they were her “secret weapon” in winning the 2004 presidential elections.
There are 450,000 BHWs in the country, said Abadiano.
“Whatever support you gave me during the 2004 elections, I give the same to the Senate hopefuls under Team Unity,” Arroyo told the BHWs.
Insurance
Abadiano said the President has always been a “friend” of the BHWs since she was elected in a national position.
“She is the only President that recognized the strength of BHWs,” Abadiano said.
In August 2005, Arroyo gave a check worth P3 million for Philhealth insurance to at least 6,000 BHWs gathered at the Cebu Coliseum during the NCBHW’s 11th anniversary.
Arroyo also assured the BHWs of more support during Saturday’s visit.
Abadiano said the basic need of the BHWs is health insurance. While Arroyo already doled out P3 million, not all the BHWs received the benefit.
BHWs are volunteer workers who receive honorarium from their local government units.
Abadiano hopes there will be allocation for the training of BHWs.
“Also, we are asking for the full implementation of Republic Act (RA) 7883,” Abadiano told Sun.Star Cebu.
Incentives
RA 7883 provides incentives for BHWs such as hazard allowance, subsistence allowance, civil service eligibility, access to loans, scholarship for one child and free legal assistance.
Reelectionist Sen. Francisco “Kiko” Pangilinan also said he hopes for the law’s implementation during his speech later in the afternoon.
The independent senatorial candidate dropped by the summit four hours after Team Unity’s visit.
“The very important and basic service is health and in order to gain productivity we also have to ensure that we are healthy,” Pangilinan said.
The NCBHW lifestyle Summit is in line with Presidential Proclamation 958 declaring 2005 to 2015 as the decade of healthy lifestyle.
“There is a need to bridge the gap of the Department of Health and the community,” said Dr. Fidencio Aurelia, president of the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) in Central Visayas.
PHA is a people’s organization closely linked with BHW in the information campaign for healthy lifestyle.
In Lapu-Lapu City, Congresswoman Ruiz said the President’s surprise visit will tell the people whom she is supporting.
Locals
Councilor Damian Gomez, who is part of Mayor Radaza’s slate, said yesterday was both a consultative meeting of around 5,000 political leaders of Radaza and their way of showing support to him and his team.
Councilor Mario Amores is Radaza’s running mate.
Ruiz earlier told Arroyo that there will be a meeting of a big group in Lapu-Lapu and the President promised to drop by on her way to the airport.
Arroyo arrived shortly before noon and at the last part of the activity.
After the mayor introduced all his candidates, he gave a brief speech and then the President arrived.
During the program, Radaza did not name any candidate for Congress and in the provincial race that his slate will support.
With about two weeks to go before start of the campaign period for local candidates, Lakas-CMD’s sixth district chairman Quisumbing remains uncertain if he will take on Kampi’s Ruiz.
Ruiz already made known her intention to seek another term.
“In this election there is democracy, so we are always prepared for anybody to run,” Ruiz said.
New allies
Ruiz’s new alliance with her Kampi partymate Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano makes her a supporter of Ouano’s son Jonkie for mayor.
Jonkie, the newly appointed Lakas-CMD head for Mandaue City, is a partymate of Quisumbing.
But Quisumbing is supporting the candidacy of Councilor Jonas Cortes, Jonkie’s rival.
“You know in politics you can be both. A family can be a Kampi, Lakas, and LP. It’s not unusual,” Ruiz said.
Gomez said that in time, their “Deretso” party will come up with the names of candidates for congressman and governor to support.
But definitely, he said, they will support Arroyo’s Team Unity party plus opposition candidate for senator John “Sonny” Osmeña.
When asked who will be left out of Team Unity to accommodate Osmeña, Gomez said it will be up to “the people” to decide. (Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (March 11, 2007 issue)
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