Glenn Soco runs for vice governor under PMP

CEBU, Philippines - In a move that makes the Cebu vice gubernatorial race now a three-cornered fight, businessman Glenn Anthony Soco yesterday filed his certificate of candidacy for vice governor under the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

This recent development raised possible conflict among allied parties because PMP is part of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) which is allied with the One Cebu Party that is fielding Ramon “Boboy” Durano IV.

 “We tried to dissuade him, and even offered to support him if he ran for congress or PB in the sixth district. But it seems he is hell bent on running for vice governor no matter what,” said One Cebu’s secretary general and third district Rep. Pablo John Garcia when asked about Soco’s move. 

Soco ran in 2010 under the One Cebu banner. He lost to the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez, Jr. and just last week, he lost his protest before the Court of Appeals. He vowed to continue the fight before the Supreme Court.

Soco did not answer calls to his mobile phone last night.

Pablo John questioned Soco’s certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) from PMP.

“We are clearing it up with (Vice President Jejomar Binay) considering that PMP is UNA and Gov. Gwen is the one authorized to issue CONA for UNA in the Province of Cebu,” Pablo John said. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia heads the One Cebu party and was supposed to run for senator under UNA. She decided to drop her bid and she will instead run to represent the third district in Congress.

The One Cebu gubernatorial aspirant also added that Soco has not formally resigned from One Cebu. “But I guess his actions speak of his voluntary disengagement from the party,” said Pablo John.

Aside from Soco and Durano, another candidate for Cebu vice governor is Liberal Party’s Agnes Magpale, who assumed the post of vice governor after Sanchez’s death.

Even when One Cebu was still negotiating with Magpale to be Pablo John’s runningmate, Soco informed his party and the public that he is still interested to run for vice governor. When One Cebu named Boboy Durano as the party’s candidate for vice governor, Soco still announced he is determined to run again for vice governor. In May this year, he was quoted in newsreports as saying that he met with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who invited him to join PMP, the party of former president Joseph Estrada. — (FREEMAN)