(left to right) Lapu-Lapu City Congressional aspirant Rene Espina Jr., Mayoral race aspirant Efrain Pelaez Jr. And Atty. Rudy Taneo aspiring for Vice-Mayor hold their CONA from NPC.(CDN PHOTO/NORMAN MENDOZA)
Businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr. found a national party to support his run for Lapu-Lapu city mayor after he was suddenly dropped by the Liberal Party.
The Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (CONA) from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) came a few hours before the deadline of the COC filing yesterday.
Pelaez, congressional aspirant Rene Espina Jr. and their team yesterday tore up their Liberal Party membership papers and buried their LP campaign paraphernalia in a coffin .
This signified their resignation from LP at a press briefing in Lapu-Lapu City a few hours before they filed their COCs.
Pelaez said LP failed to give them the due courtesy of being advised ahead that they have been dropped after six years of loyalty in favor of characters who, he pointed out, “can’t have the moral ascendancy to promote and uphold the now meaningless ‘daang matuwid’.”
After Pelaez’s group learned that Mayor Paz Radaza was picked by the LP national headquarters over him as chairman, Pelaez immediately called his friends from NPC in Manila.
The NPC adopted the Pelaez group after they coordinated with Rep. Ace Durano, who is the Cebu provincial chairman of NPC.
Pelaez said he and his group are the K.K.K. of modern times which stands for Kontra Korapsyon Kami.
“I have fought corruption since 2007 when several businessmen in Lapu-Lapu City complained of threats from an official that their business would have a difficult process if they won’t give a certain amount of money,” he said.
TALISAY CITY , SAN FERNANDO
Aside from Pelaez, two other Liberal Party members, who didn’t get the party’s endorsement, were adopted by NPC.
They are Talisay City Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante and San Fernando Mayor Antonio “Abe” Canoy.
Villarante is running for Talisay mayor while Canoy is running for Congress in the 1st district.
LP endorsed Talisay re-electionist Mayor Johnny delos Reyes instead of Villarante.
“ I am very happy that there’s a party that sympathizes with us, that took us under their wing. And we will return the favor with our support. We will support NPC whoever they will endorse ,” said Villarante.
Villarante, who handed filed his COC on Friday morning, said he spoke with Durano and pledged support for the candidacy of One Cebu gubernatorial bet Winston Garcia and national candidates
Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero.
Talisay Councilor Danny Caballero will be his vice mayoral candidate.
He is also supporting San Fernando Mayor Antonio “Abe” Canoy for first district representative.