Bakud holds back support for Poe

Presidential candidate Grace Poe gets a warm welcome during her campaign sortie in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. (INQUIRER PHOTO)

The unresolved disqualification cases against Sen. Grace Poe are the only things keeping the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) Party in the fifth district of Cebu from publicly announcing its support for her presidential bid.

Danao City Vice Mayor Ramon “Red” Durano VI, the party president, said they were “strongly considering” Poe as their presidential candidate, but they were holding back on giving her their support because of her pending disqualification cases.

“The party’s members are still hesitant to give their commitment until the disqualification cases filed against Senator Poe are resolved,” he told Cebu Daily News on Friday.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has disqualified Poe from the presidential race due to citizenship and residency issues.

The Supreme Court, however, issued a temporary restraining order that stopped Comelec from enforcing its decision. Durano said Bakud would definitely announce its choice for president before the local campaign period starts on March 25.

If Poe would be disqualified, Durano said they would have to choose between two other presidential aspirants — former Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Sen. Tito Sotto, a reelectionist and a Poe supporter, was optimistic that the Duranos of the fifth district would support Poe and her running mate, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Sotto, a friend of Danao City Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III, said in a visit here Thursday that it would just be a matter of time before the Duranos would declare support for Poe.

“It would be awkward for (the Durano family) to support somebody else,” Sotto said, noting that fifth district Rep. Ace Durano is Poe’s campaign manager.

Red is the younger brother of Ace. Nito, the district’s former representative, is their father.

Sotto said the Duranos were expected to attend the Poe-Escudero grand rally in Cebu on April 5, the venue of which was still to be announced.