One Cebu set to announce candidates for fourth district

The One Cebu Party is expected to announce in a scheduled meeting tomorrow its complete line-up of candidates for the fourth congressional district, the bailiwick of the Martinez family of the opposition.

The party, headed by Governor Gwen Garcia, has invited to the meeting former Provincial Board member Benhur Salimbangon, whose leaders had earlier touted as the party's possible bet for the district's congressional seat.

Salimbangon, who did not attend the launching of One Cebu Party two weeks ago, is seen now as the party's official candidate for Congress against Bogo Mayor Celestino "Tining" Martinez III, the son of last-termer Rep. Clavel Asas-Martinez.

Salimbangon was a PB member in 1995 then ran and lost for the district's congressional seat, against Rep. Clavel Martinez in 1998, without any incumbent mayor to back him up then. Since that loss, he chose to stay away from politics.

Speaker Joe de Venecia's Lakas Party has recently appointed Clavel the party's chairman of Cebu Fourth District.

Clavel's husband, Celestino "Junie" Martinez, was once a congressman that had steered to his side all the nine mayors of the district away from the Garcia family, except for Mayor Maria Luisa Loot of Daan Bantayan.

When Gwen won as governor against Junie in the last elections, she managed to add later to her side, aside from Mayor Loot, three more mayors, Geraldine Escario-Cañares of Bantayan, Letecia Mancio of Madridejos, and Manreza Lim of Medellin.

Political observers noted that the political situation at the Fourth District may no longer be totally Martinez-controlled citing one more case, the recent move of incumbent PB member Joven Mondigo to the One Cebu Party of the Garcias.

PB member Mondigo, a Medellin native and a long-time political ally of Junie, is now on his last term but he took his oath as member of One Cebu Party recently.

He had endorsed his son, Joven Jr., to run in his stead along with another candidate for the district's second PB slot whose name will be announced also tomorrow.

Another incumbent PB member, Jose Maria Gastardo, had chosen to stick to the Martinezes. - Gregg M. Rubio