Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale (CDN FILE PHOTO)
IT WILL be business as usual at the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) even if some of the Cebu provincial legislators shifted alliances from their previous parties to President Rodrigo Duterte’s party — Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
“There’s no possibility of change in the majority floor leader. But bitaw (anyway), let’s see. But I’m very confident there won’t be one because no one is politicking. And there’s no one showing signs implying (they are politicking),” Cebu Vice Mayor Agnes Magpale when asked about the effects at the PB of the shift in party alliances of some of the PB Members.
Seven of the 16 PB members shifted to the PDP-Laban and became new members of the party after a mass oath-taking ceremony on Friday.
Four of them are Sun Shimura (4th District), Glen Bercede (6th District), Jose Mari Salvador (2nd District) and Yolanda Daan and Raul Bacaltos (both from 1st District).
Board Members Alex Binghay (3rd District) and Thadeo Jovito Ouano (6th District) had already become members of PDP-Laban.
Two PB members from the Liberal Party (LP), Christopher Baricuatro and Jerome Librando, together with those who ran independently or who came from the Durano-led Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BAKUD), remained in their respective parties.
These included the two ex-officio officials of the PB.
An estimated 50,000 people gathered at Plaza Independencia last Friday for the event which was led by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
The new members made the PDP-Laban as a party to have majority of the local elected officials in Cebu in their fold. They included 34 out of the 53 mayors in the province and seven out of 10 lawmakers.
Gov. Hilario Davide III, said PB members should focus on the tasks expected of them.
Davide also said that claiming the majority in the PB “has never been an issue.”
“The important thing is not to lose our focus. To keep serving because we don’t have anything to lose if we continue to (deliver) the services of the Capitol. That’s the most important thing for me… claiming majority in the PB has never been an issue,” said Davide.
He also reiterated his stand that he respects the decision of everyone–board members and mayors–to switch parties.
The other PB Members are Edsel Galeos, Victoria Corominas-Toribio, Horacio Franco, and Miguel Antonio Magpale.