Local allies to carry brunt of Arroyo campaign

CEBU CITY — President Arroyo said here Friday night that she intends to spend more time at Malacañang and will just leave it up to her political allies in the Koalisyon ng Karanasan at Katapatan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) to wage the campaign for her candidacy in the May 10 elections.

As far as she sees it, the President believes the race for the presidency to be a "two-cornered" fight between her and Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr.

The President said this Friday night in her one-on-one interview on the ABS-CBN television talk show Impact 2004 hosted by STAR publisher Max Soliven and broadcast from the Cebu Waterfront Hotel.

The much-vaunted crossing of paths here between the President and Poe did not materialize, since the KNP ticket went around the province of Cebu as the K-4 campaign handlers decided to cut short the political rally it had organized when the KNP ticket also arrived here to campaign.

The KNP senatorial bets and their campaign staff were billeted at the Cebu Waterfront hotel, while Poe was booked at the Marriott Hotel at the other end of the city.

The President and her running mate, Sen. Noli de Castro, proceeded with their regular "Pulong ng Bayan" with K-4 senatorial bets former Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas and lawyer Pia Cayetano.

"I’m not campaigning hard for the elections because I have to govern, especially now that the local campaign has started," the President said. "I would leave it more to the coalition to campaign for me while I am governing."

"Like here, in Cebu, there were no rallies," she said, adding that her time in Cebu is occupied with "mostly governance work, explaining my programs, inaugurating my projects."

Immediately upon her arrival here at noon Friday, the President met behind closed doors with all of the political chieftains of Cebu led by re-electionist Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña.

"You are going to see less (provincial sorties) because the local campaign has started," she said. "Actually, before, even after the first two weeks of campaign, I said I would leave it more to the coalition to campaign for me."

However, this tapering off of her provincial campaign sorties does not mean the President is sure of victory this early in the campaign.

"Not at all, but I need to govern," she said. "I need to attend to the economy and other things that must be done."

"It’s an advantage for governance because we don’t want to (be) starting from scratch because one learns by experience and experience is an important advantage for governance — and that’s what I have to offer," the President added. – Marichu Villanueva