‘YELLOW NO MORE’
One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia (right) and his vice gubernatorial running mate Nerissa Soon Ruiz (left) flash the W sign along with new allies, City of Naga mayoral candidate Venici Del Mar (2nd from right) and his vice mayoral candidate Rolando Villareal, who bolted from the Liberal Party along with their whole slate and were introduced as new One Cebu members in a media event held Friday at the Grand Convention Center in Cebu City . (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Just as the Liberal Party slate led by standard bearer Mar Roxas was winding down from two days of high-octane barnstorming in Cebu, key LP leaders in Cebu’s first congressional district have decided to bolt the party.
The reason? Local party intramurals.
The exodus started yesterday with at least 12 LP members in the City of Naga led by mayoral candidate Venici del Mar who left the party and joined One Cebu headed by its gubernatorial candidate, Winston Garcia, the challenger to the reelection bid of Gov. Hilario Davide III, the LP-Cebu provincial chairman.
“We still believe in the principles of LP but we also believe in Winston’s plan for Cebu,” said Del Mar in an interview following his meeting with Garcia at the Grand Convention Center in Cebu City.
“We give Garcia our full support,” he added.
Del Mar’s campaign manager Ben Aratea, however, said the group would support the presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and not One Cebu’s presidential bet, Vice President Jejomar Binay.
But Del Mar, reached by phone last night, insisted his group will continue to support the LP national slate led by Roxas.
“We stick with LP. We stand with the principles of LP,” he said, even as he repudiated Davide as his gubernatorial bet in the May polls.
Aside from Del Mar, the other LP members in Naga who decided to join One Cebu were vice mayoral candidate Rolando Yabut and their line up for the city council: Ron del Mar, Ponciana Aratea, Raymundo Alicaya Jr, Jocelyn Uy, Nestor Obando, Adonel dela Fuente, Simeon Sayaang Jr, Dante Canoneo, Allan Tapia, and Mike Tablate.
Del Mar said he was disappointed by Davide’s decision to support the Alayon party candidates.
“I used to be an LP member. (We go against Alayon). But now, he (Davide) is also supporting Alayon. We’re caught in a crossfire,” he said.
Del Mar said he’s also struck by Garcia’s plan to have a free hospital care for all Cebuanos, among other programs.
“The leader of our previous group has no direction and has no clear plans for development,” he said alluding to Davide.
Garcia said One Cebu was very happy that Del Mar’s group decided to join One Cebu.
“We didn’t have second thoughts of accepting them. We’re very happy,” he said in a separate interview.
Garcia said he’s expecting more local candidates to defect from LP and join One Cebu.
JVR, TOO
Roxas is also likely to lose the support of a longtime LP ally, Talisay City Mayor Johnny de los Reyes, again over the LP’s standard bearer’s preference for De los Reyes’s political opponents, the Gullases.
Roxas, while saying he did not need the backing of influential political clans in Cebu, made sure he acknowledged the presence of former Rep. Eduardo Gullas and his grandson, reelectionist first district Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. during the LP rally in Mandaue City on Thursday.
Roxas failed to greet De los Reyes, Eduardo’s rival in the mayoral race in Talisay, who was also in the audience.
Slighted by the apparent snub, De los Reyes, who had been with the LP since 2010, said he and his team were contemplating leaving LP and supporting another presidential candidate. The actuation of Roxas, he added, only indicated that LP no longer needed his group.
De los Reyes and his team were set to meet last night to decide if they would stay with LP or join the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice President Jejomar Binay, or the Galing at Puso group of Sen. Grace Poe.
The mayor’s son, City Administrator John Yre de los Reyes, was however more upfront with his displeasure and wrote on his Facebook page: “Yellow no more!”
TOO SMALL A MATTER
Davide was meanwhile quick to defend Roxas, saying there were other political figures who were not also mentioned in his speech. “We can’t really dictate (what he says). It happens, but that doesn’t mean they were snubbed or their presence wasn’t important. For me, it’s too small a matter to be upset about,” he said.
Davide said he would try to stop the group of De los Reyes from bolting the party.
“Our aim is to maximize the votes (for Roxas) so we will try court them again, if they really feel bad,” the governor told reporters shortly before the LP rally in Dumanjug town yesterday.
Davide earlier declared the first district a “free zone” after both local LP candidates and Alayon declared support for Roxas. Alayon also pledged support for Davide and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale in their respective reelection bids.
Under the compromise agreement, Davide would not campaign against Alayon bets in the towns where the mayors are the incumbent.
Samsam Gullas also expressed concern over the defection of LP allies in Cebu’s 1st district, acknowledging it could spell lesser votes for Roxas in the coming polls.
“I am worried because (Roxas) should win handily and with a big lead in the first district, but this changes things,” he said.
But Gullas questioned the sincerity of former LP allies in their support for Roxas.
He said Alayon was up against LP bets in five out of six towns in the district but they “remained sincere” in their support for Roxas. “It just goes to show what kind of sincerity they have in support for Mar,” he added.
Prior to the filing of certificates of candidacy in October last year, LP has 32 out of 51 incumbent Cebu mayors under its banner. That would be less one if De los Reyes bolts the party.
Roxas and running mate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo were in Cebu from Thursday until yesterday for a two-day campaign sortie.
Before the LP grand rally at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex on Thursday, which was graced by President Aquino, Roxas told reporters he would not need the backing of influential clans in Cebu, as it was enough to have the support of ordinary Cebuanos who believed in their Daang Matuwid (straight path) program.
But in his speech in the rally, Roxas made sure he greeted Eduardo Gullas, a political veteran who had served as Cebu governor, congressman and Talisay mayor, has dominated Cebu’s first district composed of the cities of Carcar, Naga and Talisay and the towns of Minglanilla, San Fernando and Sibonga.
“Ayaw niyang sabihin grand old man. Teenager kasi ang suot niya pati rubber shoes pula or pink pa…Manong Eddiegul Gullas, (He didn’t want to be called grand old man because he likes clothes worn by teenagers; including his rubber shoes, he wore red or pink),” said Roxas in jest. “Congressman Samsam Gullas, nakita ko po dito kanina. Congressman Samsam, palakpakan po natin (I saw congressman Samsam Gullas. Let’s give him a big hand),” he added.
MISTRESS
Delos Reyes and his slate who were in the audience, felt slighted.
“Nahiubos gyud mi kaayo (We felt bad),” said De los Reyes. “Bisag huyop sa hangin, wa gyud mi i-acknowledged (Even a whisper in the air, we were not acknowledged).”
De los Reyes said his camp considered LP as their “husband” and campaigned for the LP slate in their village dialogues. But when they attended the LP rally in Mandaue, he said the LP instead brought a “mistress,” referring to the Gullases.
“Kami gud nag consider mi sa among kaugalingon nga putli nga asawa sa LP. Ang LP maoy among bana. Daghan kaayong manintal namo, wa gyud mi bisan gamay nga pag-entertain kay galikay mi nga dili mamantsahan among pagka-asawa sa LP (We considered ourselves loyal wives of LP. There were many who tempted us but we didn’t entertain them because we did not want to stain our marriage to LP),” he said.
“Pero karon pag-abot didto, duna silay laing asawa nga gidala nga maoy ilang gihalok-halokan, gipangga atubangan namo (But when we went to the rally, they brought in another wife whom they kissed and loved in front of us),” he added.
De los Reyes pointed that while he stood by the LP Aquino-Roxas tandem in the 2010 presidential race, the Gullases supported then Sen. Manny Villar.
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