'Quisumbing will strengthen Marcoses' power in Congress'

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City councilor and sixth district congressional aspirant, Victor Biaño strikes his opponent, Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing, saying the latter will become an addition to the growing power of the Marcoses in the Congress.

Biaño said that Quisumbing is running for Congress so that his relatives, the Marcoses and the Romualdezes, can dominate the legislative body. “The Marcoses would like to strengthen their group,” Biaño added.

He also said that Quisumbing, whose mother is a Romualdez, is running for Congress with an ill-will because he is being pushed by his mother and grandfather.

The councilor also revealed that he believes that Quisumbing shifted his support from Mayor Jonas Cortes to sixth district Rep. and now mayoralty candidate Nerissa Soon-Ruiz because the mayor junked his request to endorse his “spider cabs” to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board that would lead to the phase-out of tricycles in Mandaue City.

Biaño also believes his opponent wants to re-file the bill, which was approved in the Lower House, to grant franchise to a company owned by the Quisumbings to operate a dog racing business in Mandaue. The bill was authored by Ruiz and fourth district Rep. Benhur Salimbangon.

This issue was publicized last year when the Fox New Millennium Amusement Club Inc., wanted to put up a greyhound-racing track and rent the Norkis Group of Companies’ complex in Bakilid that is being managed by the Quisumbings.

One of the legislative platforms announced by Quisumbing, is to convert the town of Consolacion into a city because it has already passed its requirements with regard to income, population and land area, which Biaño is opposed to.

Biaño said his platform is the Double “HEARTS” Program, which, he said would be more functional in the legislative aspect if he is given the chance to be in Congress. — Debbie Y. Acebu, UP MassComm Intern/WAB(FREEMAN NEWS)