NEWS: Lawyer Jun Lopoz bids to run vs. Maricar for Congress in Comval District 1

oct 19

The political teapot in the District 1 of Compostela Valley is currently astir as pundits and village leaders seem to go gung-ho over the scenario of a lawyer running against the daughter of the outgoing Congressman Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora whom the administration party has long billed to be unopposed in 2010 polls.

Atty. Jaime “Jun” Lopoz Jr, former Ombudsman graft investigation officer and prosecutor, formally declared at the recent before a group of barangay leaders in Montevista that he is running as “he is  just kursunada (gutsy)” to give Boardmember Maricar Zamora-Apsay “a good fight than give the honored congressman’s position to her with us just sitting down…as mute onlookers staring the father handing the crown jewel to his daughter”.

The congressional bid of Apsay, daughter of outgoing Congressman Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, was earlier threatened by Vice Gov. Ramil Gentugay, a Lakas-Kampi-CMD partymate, but the latter backed out citing it would be divisive and would disrupt the unity of political leaders in the province under provincial aggrupation Uswag Comval led by Gov. Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy.

But Atty. Lopoz said: “We need to give meaning to election, which is about giving our people the freedom to elect the representative they want in Congress. Without choices, we deny the right of the people to choose and elect their leaders, and we lose just as we’ll just be content of what a few have chosen to arrogate in power.”

On the heels of the lawyer’s declaration the other week, already a few barangay captains in New Bataan town have reportedly expressed they are open to make their barangays “free zones” and allow barangay people decide for their own in the coming elections.

“We need a change now. Although I have been a loyal supporter of Way Kurat,  I don’t want to put pressure to my barangay people whom to vote for in 2010. Way Kurat has has no longer power after the 2010 election. Maricar and Jun are just the same- they’re both newcomers to the position, Way Kurat and Maricar are two different persons,” said a barangay captain who did not want to be identified.

The Lopoz camp also claimed that some barangay leaders in Monkayo have already launched a “peso-peso para kang Atty. Lopoz” campaign to give the lawyer “support from the masses”. “This is just for a start,” said Romelito Juson, a Lopoz volunteer.

Atty. Jun, the eldest brother of Boardmember Atty. Dexter Lopoz, has been in private lawyering practice for over ten years now following his stint as graft investigation officer and prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman for Mindanao for five years.

While he studied law at Ateneo de Davao University Law School as working student, he taught as college professor at Ateneo de Davao University and at Davao Doctors College for ten years.

He passed, first taker, the Bar exams in 1996,  thus subsequently encouraging his younger brothers to also study law, now Atty. Dexter, who topped second placer of 2000 Bar exams and Atty. Rex Lopoz, who passed, first taker, in 2006.

In his college Atty. Jun was a scholar and a popular student leader who was elected for two straight terms as president of the Supreme Student Council of MSU-IIT in Iligan City.

He had also become the Mindanao chairman of the League of Filipino Students (LFS), and had been a labor union organizer and community organizer before he decided to study law at AdDU. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: atty dexter lopoz, atty. jun lopoz, atty. rex lopoz, maricar zamora-apsay, atty dexter lopoz, atty. jun lopoz, atty. rex lopoz, maricar zamora-apsay

OPINION: Rump company for Nonoy’s sake

BLOGISTA
By Cha Monforte

sept 17
It’s foremost queer, nay unique or maybe a subterfuge depending on one’s jaded eyes that a governor’s son would call for an obviously anti-administration campaign, that is his vocal support to the presidential bid of Senator Noynoy Aquino, right inside the backyard where his father sits as the top honcho of the threatened administration party now- the Lakas-CMD or Lakas-Kampi-CMD, whatever that is in Davao del Norte.
That was Anthony G. del Rosario (AGR in political nick), the former vice governor, did last week in declaring his vocal support to Noynoy at a media forum right inside the Capitol at Mankilam in Tagum. From that cue, Boardmember Antonio Lagunzad called for the same for Nonoy but not without leaving a caveat of getting first an imprimatur from the governor whom he professes to high heavens as he’s too loyal of (as though he alone is too loyal to the governor in the Capitol. What about the members of the cordon sanitaire gob?). There were also two others, an appointed one from Carmen town and the other, an elected one from Samal island, who drew a rather blurred line against the coming Lakas presidential timber as seen in a photo-op with AGR for Noynoy’s sake.
Now the Malacanang’s political operators are not again that naive. AGR’s political statements clearly mean he already burned the bridges with Arroyos, for siding with the Good than the Evil. And if Evil is Malacanang to critical writers and commentators, the Palace’s Big Brother eyes might have been already furious for the governor’s continued silence to his son’s statements and political activities that are now rocking the boat- that he is steering without an assembly of Lakas tripolantes.
The public visibility cast by such rump company of Noynoy’s supporters closely connected to the governor, who up until now is still a Lakas partidista, to borrow the oft-repeated line of last-termer 1st District Cong. Arrel Olano, only smacks an image of a divided Capitol. But pundits say that Gov. RDR can’t yet jump ship to the opposition, despite that he no longer has a “Tadeco to protect”  as leaving the administration party would open up the Lakas-Kampi-CMD up for grabs by and control of the Floirendos, the acknowledged kingmaker in the province’s District 2, leaving RDR vulnerable in his reelection bid.
For such, the spectre of seeing the governor to be mum over his son’s political stance, coupled with the spectre of him holding on at bay a political inertia, foremost of not calling for a big assembly of Lakas and Kampi leaders and members as this will exclude AGR, has now generated second guessing game in the Capitol and entire province after AGR’s health became the first that cracked up.
But this is obviously putting pressures to the governor, one from Malacanang, and the other from his partymates and the voting public as seeing him sticking it out with Lakas-Kampi-CMD, and putting no one as standard bearer for the 1st district congressional post, obviously to reserve it to AGR as possibly an adopted candidate, who is already with the opposition for now, is a height of political trickery and duplicity. This would not really sit well with an ultra-envious Malacanang, while there is this dignified option of following the path of AGR now, or putting the latter on gag order while he’s inside and working at the Capitol. Or better still, AGR has to resign as provincial employee and put up his own private political headquarters somewhere else outside the confines of the Capitol.
A private citizen AGR? Why not! That’s fine to many Noynoy’s supporters around waiting for a leader to rally for them for Noynoy’s sake.
BLOGBITS: BM Tony Lagunzad is a Coryista. He was appointed the OIC mayor in Tagum after EDSA Uno. But he was defeated by Vice Gov. Baby Suaybaguio when he ran as regular mayor, while seven of his OIC councilors won….. Now he’s at it again, wanting to jump first while asking somebody to hold him not to….. Tagum City Mayor Rey Uy did not mince his words in my last Monday interview of calling Daneco OIC GM Allan Laniba as “not right (person) to be there”. Way Labad na ana si Laniba mayor. I mean he’s also ready not to become the full-pledged Daneco….. Comval Boardmember Maricar Apsay has now a contender for the congressional post in the District 1- Atty. Jun Lopoz, former Ombudsman for Mindanao lawyer, university professor, former community organizer, ex-student activist, who has been on private practice for over 10 years. His slogan: kursunada! His battlecry: “lipay, lingaw, daug!”…… Comvalenyos are getting thrilled of Atty. Jun- Kursunda! than giving the congressional post to BM Maricar without a fight. That’s what an election, piniliay is- dapat may pilion ta! (For comments, email: chamonforte@yahoo.com)

Filed under: agr del rosario, Allan Laniba, anthony rafael del rosario, atty. jun lopoz, boardmember tony lagunzad, maricar zamora-apsay, Tagum City Mayor Rey, agr del rosario, Allan Laniba, anthony rafael del rosario, atty. jun lopoz, boardmember tony lagunzad, maricar zamora-apsay, Tagum City Mayor Rey

NEWS: No Lakas decision yet on Ramil-Maricar toss up- Chiongkee

The Lakas party in Compostela Valley has not yet made a decision on who to anoint between Vice Governor Ramil Gentugaya and Boardmember Maricar Zamora-Apsay for the District 1 congressional post for the 2010 polls, breaking the party leaders’ pledge late last year that they would announce the decision by January 2010 after a party caucus.

In a text message, Comval Lakas party provincial chairman Gov. Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy said that “it is still too early” in reference as to when the party decision would be handed down to resolve the Ramil-Maricar row over who between them becomes the Lakas standard-bearer.

Vice Gov. Gentugaya in separate text message confirmed on Monday that no party decision yet has been made on the issue.

In a news report November last year Uy was qouted as pledging that the Lakas party would convene a caucus to resolve the issue that has already become a major party headache while there has been no competition among partymates in the District 2 congressional post currently held by neophyte Cong. Rommel “Bobong” Amatong.

District 2 Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, father of Maricar, is serving his last term at present.

Both Gentugaya and Apsay have still one more term for reeelection in their respective posts.

Gentugaya is a kin of Uy by Chinese blood while Cong. Zamora has been a political ally of Uy.

Sources said that the issue has already tried to rock the unified Lakas party about two weeks ago during a meeting of provincial party leaders for the Uswag Comval, a local political aggrupation being pushed by the governor.

Sources said that at one time during the affair when Cong. Zamora introduced his daughter as the incoming congresswoman to affix her signature to support Uswag Comval, former Cong. Prospero Amatong stood up and said it would be Ramil as the next congressman of District 1.

The elder Amatong is a voting member-emiritus of the Comval Lakas provincial directorate.

Earlier, Uy said that both “stand in equal footing if the choice is baeed on the Lakas party rules”. He did not not enumerate the rules.

He said it would be the Lakas provincial directorate which would decide the official bet for the post. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: chiongkee uy, comval news, comval officials, maricar zamora-apsay, ramil gentugaya, chiongkee uy, comval news, comval officials, maricar zamora-apsay, ramil gentugaya