Lapid now keeping his Senate option open

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- This early, election fever pervades in this province amid moves to convince Gov. Lito Lapid to abandon his plan to seek a last term as governor and instead run for the Senate.

After initially declaring that he would seek a third term to "vindicate" himself and his constituents in the face of various cases the Office of the Ombudsman has filed against him, Lapid said he is now keeping his options open.

"I will have to abide by the decision of my party (Lakas-NUCD) on my political fate," he said. His supporters cited a nationwide survey supposedly showing he landed third among possible senatorial contenders.

Lapid said that should he run for governor again, Mikey Arroyo, eldest son of Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, would be "okay" as his vice gubernatorial candidate. But he added he might consider running for the Senate.

Earlier, Mikey declared he was interested in running for vice governor, probably also under the Lakas-NUCD.

Meanwhile, Lubao Mayor Lilia Pineda, president of the Pampanga Mayors' League, denied allegations that she was part of a move calling for the resignation of Lapid for his alleged "ineffective governance."

She was reacting to reports in local papers quoting her and Mayors Benigno Espino of Arayat and Jun Canlas of Bacolor, both with the Lapian ng Masang Pilipino (LAMP), as urging Lapid to seek instead a Senate post in next year's elections.

Pineda, who is on her third and last term as Lubao mayor, does not belong to any political party. She won as an independent candidate.

There are reports that Pineda is interested in the gubernatorial post, but she has not announced her plans.

"I am trying to gauge the sentiments of the people and find out whether I should," she said. "Once I decide to run, I am going to run whether or not Lapid will seek another term."

Magalang Mayor Pastor Guiao of Lakas-NUCD expressed support for Lapid's senatorial bid.

"It's not that we don't want him in the province, but I think he will be more helpful to us here as senator," he said.

Political observers believe that the cases the Ombudsman has filed against Lapid have boosted the provincial folk's sympathy for him and has even widened his political following.

Lapid is facing two criminal charges before the Sandiganbayan, one for the allegedly anomalous purchase by the provincial government of a P104-million parcel of land in San Fernando, and the other on his alleged involvement in the padding of lahar sand quarrying fees.

The Ombudsman earlier had tried to suspend Lapid for one year in connection with the administrative case for the "quarrying scam," but the Supreme Court questioned and stopped the order from being carried out. The Court of Appeals is still hearing Lapid's petition for injunction against the suspension order.