NEWS: Yayong exudes confidence in three-corner mayoral fight in Tagum

dec 14

Ex-Governor Yayong Gementiza: Tagum’s political titan (photo by Cha Monforte 12/12/2009)

TAGUM CITY- Former Governor Gelacio “Yayong” Gementiza, the true-blue Bol-anon political chameleon, is visibly exuding a confident aura in his face knowing his “winning chances” with the entry of Congressman Arrel Olano to complete a good three-corner fight among Tagum’s political heavyweights including him and City Mayor Rey Uy, even while retired police investigator and businessman Cesar Cuntapay scarcely stages an independent mayoral bid.
“Makuhaan gyud ug boto si CO sa pag-apil ni Olano (Chiong Oy can have a run of his votes with Olano’s entry),” said Gementiza in an interview, noting that the last-termer congressman “is close to the Catholic Church” and “he (Olano) can even get the solid Iglesia votes”.
Gementiza is visibly relying to the splitting of votes of the city’s electorate between Uy and Olano leaving him digging in with his own loyal and patronage following accumulated for decades of being a politico and win all the way to the new City Hall “that is just a walking distance from my house”.
In that winning scenario, he quipped: “I will not anymore spend my gasoline allowance and will just walk to report to my office and instead give the allowance to support the media,” he said laughing in jest.
And he charged: “If CO will be defeated, it’s a warning to the next mayor nga di sigeg pataka pataas ug buwis (not to indiscriminately raise taxes).
Mayor Uy was asked through text message for his appraisal to his rivals but as of press time his reply is still being awaited.
In twists of surprises, Gementiza, who earlier took his oath as new member of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, filed his certificate of candidacy (CoC) as independent candidate while Olano, who is supposed to be the District 1 chairman of the administration’s Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, is also running as independent candidate.
Unimpeachable sources said that Olano was first offered to run for boardmember under Lakas but adopted candidate of the Liberal Party headed by Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario and not run for mayorship against Uy, who is with the governor and the LP. Olano is known as close ally of the governor
But on the last hours before the December 1 deadline of candidacy, Olano pulled a surprise by running as city mayor as independent Lakas candidate as he was reportedly not given certificate of nomination by the provincial Lakas chairman District 2 Congressman Anton Lagdameo.
Sources said there was ‘quid pro quo’ agreement between Del Rosario and Lagdameo not to give Lakas nomination to Olano although Gementiza said that Olano did not ask for it in the first place.
Olano has no vice mayoral candidate in tandem but has two candidates for city councilors former city councilor Rey Alba and Macario Bermudez, who is ending his third term as boardmember.
Gementiza, on the otherhand, said that “it’s better to be independent to give him and his group freedom which national party and presidential candidate to support and campaign in the local level.”
He also added that the support of Floirendos and Lagdameo to him was not also “certain” even if he would stick with the administration party.
The former governor has almost complete slate for city councillorship, and has retired Judge Justino Aventurado as his vice mayoral candidate in tandem.
On Saturday during the gift giving spree of Olano at his residence, in an interview, the congressman was coy and just quipped: “I’m staging a good fight”.
Olano distributed calendars bearing photos of his accomplishments and two kilos of rice inside a white plastic bag with his face and name emblazoned on it to thousands of people trooping infront the gate of his house at Delfina Subdivision. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

NEWS: Lawyering for Ampatuans won’t affect candidacy- Atty. Lopoz

dec 7

Lawyer Rex Lopoz, who is one of the group of lawyers defending the Ampatuans involved in the Maguindanao massacre, said that he does not believe that his lawyering for them would not affect his candidacy for congressman in the second district of Compostela Valley.
“We, lawyers are just performing our profession, we are just following processes the law and the rules provide for,” he said in a text message.
Atty. Lopoz said that “the people of Compostela Valley are not naive into thinking that just because I am one of the 40 lawyers hired by the Ampatuans, they would then not vote for me?”
“People should understand that the primary duty of a lawyer is to facilitate the administration of justice to ensure that the laws, rules and other processes are observed. Without observance of legal processes, human rights are surely violated,” he added.
The 32-year old lawyer is running independent in three-corner fight with reelectionist Congressman Rommel Amatong and former Governor Jose Caballero.
Lopoz and Atty. Anwar Khalid Maliawao succeeded Friday to get the writ of amparo from the Court of Appeals in Cagayan de Oro City for the members of the Ampatuan family against the military, Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
The hearing on the writ of amparo at the Solicitor General’s office in Manila was scheduled on December 9.
The two lawyers filed the early petition for the write of amparo in behalf of Governor Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and his father, Maguindanao Governor Andal Sr. on Thursday.
In their petition, Lopoz and Maliawao asked the court to order the military, the PNP and the NBI to lift restrictions on the movement of the Ampatuans, their supporters and lawyers.

They argued that their clients and the others restricted inside the houses of the Ampatuans in Shariff Aguak were being arbitrarily detained although there were no charges against them.

Lopoz and Maliawao left Maguindanao to file the petition in Cagayan de Oro City on November 30, a day before the military cordoned off Ampatuan houses.

They said that there was “virtual house arrest” made on 15 colleague lawyers left in an Ampatuan house in Maguindanao.

Justice Romulo Borja of the court’s 21st Division granted their petition and penned the resolution. It was issued at 10 a.m. Friday. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

NEWS: Davao del Norte battle royale shifts to vice gubernatorial race

dec 7

* Baby takes swipe at Dangpanan for much talk
* Dangpanan says credentials matter in legislation

TAGUM CITY- With the backing out of Lakas supposed Lakas candidate Margie Moran-Floirendo from gubernatorial race and ergo, the unopposed reelection bid of Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario (Liberal Party), the battle royale that was then expected to spark between the two clanmates appears now to have shifted to the vice gubernatorial race.

Pundits here have speculated that the vice gubernatorial race would be tight as reelectionist Vice Gov. Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio Jr  (LP) and Boardmember Roger “Dangpanan” Israel (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) would be respectively supported by their patrons, the Floirendo and Del Rosario camps.

Former Congressman Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr , who is not running, and Gov. Del Rosario have been largely considered as political kingpins in the second and first districts in the province, respectively.

“Whoever wins in the vice gubernatorial race vindicates who is the real  political kingpin throughout the province,” said  a boardmember who requested not to be named.

And last week the two vice gubernatorial candidates started to snipe at each other although in obviously withheld temper.

Suaybaguio took a swipe to Israel saying that the latter talks so much in giving reasons of his running.

“He should not talk so much about his qualifications for vice governor, that he is this and he is that. Talking about how to render and sustain more public services to the people of the province would do more good for him,” the vice governor said in an interview.

“He was not replaced in the provincial slate that was still being finalized the other Sunday. On the day of the fiesta (of Tagum City , Nov. 22) he was even visited by the governor, but the next thing we knew on the next day, he was absent in the session of the provincial board and we heard he was already sitting beside Margie (Moran-Floirendo),” Suaybaguio added.

The ex-Miss Universe took her oath on Nov 23 as new member of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and declared she was excited to run for governor against her husband’s uncle by marriage, Del Rosario. She backed out from the race a few days after citing her “own Roxas-Moran family has prevailed over me to desist from pursuing my plans so as not to be caught in a family feud that may conclude to a bitter end.”

Suaybaguio, who joined in the exodus of Lakas incumbents in District 1 led by the governor to LP, added that he was not harboring ill feelings to the decision of Israel to remain with Lakas and run against him saying: “This is a free country. I respect his option and I can’t prevent him to run against me… even then I still consider him as a worthy member of one legislative body which has the vision of bringing true development for the people of the province.”

But Israel , in separate interview over the weekend, was quick to rebut Suaybaguio that he has just credentials to show and that these credentials matter since the position they are vying for is legislation.

He said that he has a long track record in legislative performance being a legislator and government worker for 15 years serving in various capacity as boardmember, former Tagum city councilor and ex-barangay councilor and barangay captain and Lupong Tagapamayapa chairman.

He said that he became even a senator of Jaycees Club International “like Senator Juan Ponce Enrile who was also a JCI senator”.

Asked about Israel ’s statements, Suaybaguio said , “cool… I would not quarrel with him with those”.

For his part, Israel said: “Maayo si Baby kay nahimong mayor sa Tagum, ako wala (Baby is better since he became a Tagum city mayor). But Dangpanan said he is presently “collecting  something” which he said he could not yet reveal at press time “as his secret yet which could defeat Baby”.

Suaybaguio and Israel , both hailing from the vote-rich Tagum City , have had their days considered as nino bonitos in the city’s politics. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

NEWS: Davao Norte, Comval govs make high 5 as unopposed

dec 3

Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario and Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy are making high five as both of them are running for their respective second reelection bid without any opponent not even a nuisance candidate.
Del Rosario of the Liberal Party is unopposed as former Miss Universe Margarita “Margie” Moran-Floirendo backed out Monday from her gubernatorial plan.
Uy of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, on the other hand, is unopposed as his critic former Governor Jose Caballero instead filed at 10:00 PM his certificate of candidacy (COC) for congressman under the Liberal Party banner in the province’s second district against reelectionist Congressman Rommel Amatong (Lakas-Kampi-CMD).
Atty. Rex Lopoz, resident of the capital town of Nabunturan, joined in the congressional race as he filed his COC as independent an hour before Caballero, also a lawyer, did.

In a sudden reversal a week after she declared she was excited to run for governor, Moran-Floirendo on Monday announced she was backing out from the gubernatorial race, saying: “After much thought and consideration, the Roxas-Moran family has prevailed over me to desist from pursuing my plans so as not to be caught in a family feud that may conclude to a bitter end.”
The 1973 Miss Universe is a granddaughter of the late President Manuel Roxas and cousin of LP vice presidential bet, Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas III.
She said her family do not want her to be caught in the middle of a feud between her husband former Congressman Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr  and Del Rosario.
She denied there were “concessions” made between the feuding political kingpins although Del Rosario earlier announced he would not be fielding an opponent to reelectionist District 2 Cong. Anton Lagdameo, provincial chair of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Lagdameo is Tonyboy’s nephew.
And Del Rosario made true his promise as no one is running against Lagdameo.
However, in the first district, former boardmember Emily Alvarez, wife of former DOTC Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez, will vie against the governor’s son former Vice Gov. Anthony Rafael del Rosario for the congressional seat.
But Del Rosario’s man in tandem Vice Gov. Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio Jr has an opponent for the vice gubernatorial run as Boardmember Roger Israel, who was suddenly left alone after Margie’s political exit, filed his COC for the post.
Reelectionist Vice Gov. Ramil Gentugaya of Compostela Valley is also unopposed.
On the other hand, a three-corner mayoral fight is set up in Tagum City between among City Mayor Rey Uy (LP), former Gov. Gelacio “Yayong” Gementiza (independent) and last-termer Cong.Arrel Olano, a supposed Lakas-Kampi-CMD District 1 chairman who is now running independent.
In another three-corner congressional fight in the first district of Compostela Valley, controversial police officer Cesar Mancao filed his COC on Monday morning, while former Ombudsman graft investigator Atty. Jaime “Jun” Lopoz Jr filed Tuesday before noon and boardmember Maria Carmen Zamora-Apsay, daughter of last-termer Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, filed last Saturday.
Zamora is not running of any post as he earlier said he would concentrate in campaigning for her daughter’s bid. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

NEWS: Davao del Norte priest files COC for town mayor

dec 1

FR. Em-EM LUEGO

A parish priest in Davao del Norte filed his certificate of candidacy for mayorship in Santo Tomas town yesterday early afternoon.

In an interview, Fr. Emerson “Em-Em” Luego, now on-leave parish priest of San Isidro town in the province, that “after deep reflection to a question, I have come to a heavy decision of meeting the challenge of the people of my hometown who want that something must change, and I know that this is a call of God.”

The 36-year old priest added: “Serving the people in public office is another call of God for another mission especially for my kababayans in Santo Tomas”.

Fr. Luego, who is running independent, said that Monsignor Bishop Wilfredo Manlapaz early Monday gave a nod to the priest’s plan, and “wished me good luck” and even advised him not to fall into the dirty trappings of politics.

Luego said that with his running he is considered “on-leave” and could not celebrate the Church’s sacraments

On that same day, Luego tendered a tearful despidada party to his San Isidro parish leaders, laymen and apostolates.

During the occasion, the priest was remembered for the renovation of the San Isidro parochial church and convent he made.

“In our country’s traditional politics, there’s that virus of division, retaliation and revenge. I want to spread the virus of unity that the people will enjoy,” Fr. Luego said.

Although running independent but he said he would be supporting the presidential bid of Noynoy Aquino of the Liberal Party.

Luego would square off with reelectionist Mayor Maximo Estela of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and former Mayor Dario Romano. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)