CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III said the Liberal Party (LP) in Cebu remains strong amid attempts to “drive a wedge” among its members and “destroy them.”
Davide, LP Cebu chairman, said this in response to rumors that Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who earlier declared her bid for reelection with Davide in 2016, may run against him or run as vice governor with someone else.
“We talked this morning on my way to the office. It’s still the two of us. That’s all hearsay and intrigue. Around this time, there will be a lot of intrigues,” he said.
Speculation revived about Magpale’s position when Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero visited her bailiwick, Danao City last week.
Rep. Ace Durano of Cebu’s 5th district chairs the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in Cebu of which Escudero is affiliated.
The Durano-led Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BAKUD) party in the 5th district are allies of the LP and supported the Davide-Magpale tandem in 2013.
It has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate although Magpale’s brother, Secretary Rene Almendras, is one of President Aquino’s closest advisers.
Off and on talk has circulated that a member of the Durano clan would run for governor, a story Magpale has repeatedly denied.
While the governor was on official business in Russia, Magpale was acting governor and finalized the LP line-up of candidates in several towns in the province.
“We will have meetings between now and Sunday to firm up our line-up in the towns, cities and the province. Like I said, it’s just speculative. There is no firm statement from Bakud or Durano,” Davide said.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
