Nueva Ecija solon quits race, fields husband

SAN ISIDRO, Nueva Ecija — Fourth district Rep. Julita Lorenzo-Villareal said she is abandoning her re-election bid to give way to her husband Raul.

With her decision, Villareal is passing up the rare chance of becoming the second lawmaker and the first woman solon in the province to complete three terms.

"It is my husband who is running and I hope you would support him the same way that you supported me," she told some 3,000 people during the graduation rites of the San Isidro Central School last Thursday.

Her decision surprised political observers in the province who have predicted her easy win for a third and last term against other aspirants in the vote-rich fourth district.

Villareal and her husband both had filed certificates of candidacy for Congress under the Joson-led Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Balane) and Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), respectively. This triggered speculations they were at odds over certain issues such as party funds, strategies and programs.

But the couple laughed off the reports, saying the double-filing was just a political strategy.

Villareal said the decision to field Raul was not hers but their supporters’. "There was a consensus and we all agreed that he should run," she said, citing a survey showing that 80 percent of their leaders want Raul to run in her place, while 85 percent believe he is winnable.

The 60-year-old Raul, president of Lorenzo Construction and a commerce graduate of San Beda College, was presented to their leaders during a meeting at the Villareals’ residence here Thursday afternoon.

Raul welcomed the draft. "It’s their choice and I accept the draft," he said, adding that his campaign platform will be similar to what his wife has espoused.