He transferred with a heavy heart to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), but San Fernando Mayor Antonio Canoy said he was confident that his former allies in the Liberal Party-Cebu chapter would support his congressional bid in the 1st district next year.
“I don’t have any doubt that they will support me,” he said about fellow mayors during the weekly 888 news forum yesterday.
Canoy was bypassed by the LP national leadership in favor of reelectionist Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas (Nacionalista Party- Alayon) who enjoys the support of LP standard-bearer Mar Roxas.
Canoy left the LP last week when he was not given a certificate of nomination by the party.
PB Member Raul Alcoseba, who will run for mayor of Carcar City, confirmed that LP mayoral candidates in the 1st district are supporting Canoy.
Personal
In an earlier interview, Gullas explained that Roxas’ support goes beyond politics and stemmed from a “personal family relationship.”
Canoy said he wasn’t afraid of losing support from LP mayoral bets.
“Their opponents are the Gullases. Why would they help their opponents?” the mayor said.
The Gullas-led Alayon party said it supports the reelection bids of Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale as well as the presidential bid of Roxas.
Apologized
Canoy said NPC still lacks an official gubernatorial bet for Cebu.
This may likely be One Cebu’s Winston Garcia, whose principal backer Eduardo Cojuanco of San Miguel Corp. where Garcia sits on the board, has been in talks with Poe and Escudero.
“If it’s Winston, then I can’t do anything about it,” Canoy said.
The mayor refused to comment about his strained relationship with Davide or whether he would support the governor’s reelection.
Governor Davide apologized to Canoy last week for not being able to grant him a certificate of nomination from the Liberal Party.
Davide said he understood the mayor’s disappointment and had to accept the consequence of making a hard decision.
Davide said he hoped both of them could still remain friends.