Thursday, March 15, 2007 Ex-priest dares anew mayor to public debate By Ulysses E. Israel
MAYORALTY aspirant and former priest Crisanto de la Cruz dared anew Mayor Celso Lobregat to a public debate, saying the constituents deserved to be informed and to hear what the candidates have to offer in seeking public position.
De la Cruz, in reiterating his challenge to the incumbent mayor for a public debate, said Lobregat has nothing to fear in a public debate that will be held between them since a healthy democracy requires that the citizens are well-informed to make intelligent decisions in charting the future of the city in a political exercise as vital and important as choosing its leaders.
"He (Lobregat) has nothing to fear from a neophyte in politics like me," he said.
De la Cruz has earlier challenged Lobregat to a public debate, but the latter turned down the challenge, saying the former has been hurling challenges left and right and that the candidate's performance and accomplishments will speak for themselves.
Lobregat said the people will based their votes on "deeds not on words"
De la Cruz however said in seeking the people's mandate the campaign should be based on issues not on personalities, on programs of government not on "dirty politics" such as black propaganda.
"We are in a democracy, the more the people are informed the better for democracy," he said.
Other sectors of the community are also pushing for the holding of the public debate. Local newspaper reports said students from the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), the academe, advocacy groups, like the AnakBayan and Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ), have supported the call for the holding of debates not only for the mayoralty position but for other positions as well.
The voting public will decide on May 14 the candidates that are best suited to run the affairs of the government. These sectors that are in favor of the holding of public debate are calling for the citizens to vote wisely, thus intelligent voting is only possible if they are well-informed of the issues and concerns, they claimed.
De la Cruz earlier suggested that the public debate should be aired in television networks and in radio stations.
The former priest is expected to run under the Kampi Party while Lobregat will be running under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP). Both parties are identified with the administration coalition assembled by President Gloria Arroyo.
