New Malabon-Navotas lawmaker sworn in

MANILA, Philippines - The wife of a party-list representative yesterday officially joined her husband in the House of Representatives as a colleague representing the lone district of Malabon-Navotas.

Josephine Veronique Lacson-Noel, wife of An Waray party-list Rep. Bem Noel, was sworn in by Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco in simple but festive ceremonies at the city hall.

Lacson-Noel is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) but ran for Congress under Tiangco’s local party, Partido Navoteño, in 2007.

Tiangco said he was happy with the HRET’s decision and particularly for the fact that his ticket, which ran in the last elections is “now complete.”

The new congresswoman officially replaced Alvin Sandoval (Lakas-CMD), who was ousted from his post on Sept. 24 following a recount by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).

Lacson-Noel filed for a recount following charges of massive poll fraud in the 2007 elections against Sandoval.

The HRET unanimously declared Lacson-Noel the winner in the 2007 polls, winning over Sandoval, the younger brother of former Malabon-Navotas congressman Federico Sandoval, by a margin of 542 votes.

The younger Sandoval filed an appeal, which was dismissed with finality by the HRET last week.

Lacson-Noel will serve out the remaining six months of what should have been her first term. “I will be consulting with the mayors of both Malabon and Navotas and school officials about what we will be doing in the next six months,” she told The STAR.

She also said she has nothing more to say about the younger Sandoval.

“The HRET’s decision is a statement enough. As a person and a human being, we (she and Sandoval) have no problem. We don’t trade barbs,” said Lacson-Noel who revealed that the older Sandoval is a godfather to their only girl Toni, 9.

Lacson-Noel’s aides told the STAR she was supposed to take her oath before House Speaker Prospero Nograles but the speaker was still in the US for the Pacquiao-Cotto fight so she was sworn in by Tiangco, a political ally.

In the May 2010 elections, Malabon and Navotas will be fielding their separate representatives in Congress, since Navotas was declared by law as a highly urbanized city on June 24, 2007.

Lacson-Noel did not confirm if she will be run for the congressional seat in the district of Malabon but told her Navotas constituents she will be “leaving” them to Tiangco’s care after her term ends. The Noels are residents of Barangay San Agustin in Malabon.

Tiangco to run for Congress

Tiangco, 42, was a Ten Outstanding Young Men awardee for community service in 2007, will complete his third term as mayor in 2010. He confirmed to the STAR he will run for congressman of Navotas in next year’s polls under the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

Tiangco ran for mayor under the Partido Navoteno, a local party he formed in his first term as mayor.

His younger brother, John Rey, will run for mayor in his place.

When asked to clarify rumors he will be returning as mayor after one term in Congress “to continue the programs,” particularly a P50-billion reclamation project by the Manila Bay, he will be leaving after his last term as mayor, Tiangco said this was not true.

“That’s not my style. I don’t plan (my politics) that way. I want to be elected one post or term at a time. I don’t want to be distracted. I plan only for the next three years,” Tiangco told the STAR.

Tiangco said the reclamation project is still cooking. He said the necessary papers are “all in” except for the environmental clearance certificate from the DENR.

“We can’t really start with the project yet. This involves a huge amount of funding and the procedure really takes time. They are very strict with the parameters, which is also good for us,” said Tiangco.

He added that the project could go faster “with the support of the national government.”

Tiangco said while he is loyal to former President Joseph Estrada, “I support anything for the good of the people of Navotas. It has always been my belief that politics should not get in the way of public service. For me, there is ‘no opposition’ when it comes to programs for the people.”