Cebu mayor eyeing LMP’s national presidency, but...

CEBU — The mayor of Bogo town is eyeing the national presidency of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).

But Mayor Celestino Martinez III will be launching his candidacy from a divided house. The Cebu mayors’ league, which he has headed for the past two years, is now divided into two almost evenly split factions, each with its own set of officers.

And while Martinez bravely predicts that he now has better chances of winning the LMP’s national presidency after having led the local chapter for two years, a divided house hardly speaks well of his leadership.

In Manila, LMP secretary-general Rey Roquero admitted that the controversy will surely affect the chances of Martinez’s plan to vie for the national presidency.

"The dispute must be resolved before Aug. 3 so that the provincial league can participate in the national elections," he said.

Besides Martinez, Mayor Pacifico Mayor of Sirron, Romblon is also eyeing the position, vacated by former San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada.

"We will hear both sides on the controversy, and the decision on who between them will represent the (Cebu) mayors’ league will be made by the (LMP) executive committee," Roquero said.

Cebu has 47 towns whose mayors-elect are almost evenly divided between the Lakas and Alayon parties.

In the league’s elections last Tuesday, those belonging to Alayon questioned the legality of allowing the vice mayor of Carcar to vote on behalf of his mayor who was absent.

Alayon said the league’s constitution and by-laws prohibit a representative from voting in league elections.

But the Lakas mayors, who had one mayor more than Alayon’s, voted to proceed with the elections, prompting the Alayon mayors to walk out and later elect their own set of officers.

The Lakas mayors re-elected Martinez to another term, while the Alayon mayors chose Malabuyoc Mayor Lito Narciso Creus.

The emergence of the two factions will now have to be settled legally.

Meanwhile, Martinez remains confident the break-up will not affect his chances for the LMP’s national presidency.

"I don’t think this will affect my chances in the LMP national level. I deserve a chance. And I think we can get a better concession now that I am in my second term," he said.

Martinez said he will ignore the break-up and leave it to the Alayon faction to bring it up with the LMP’s national directorate.

"It is not worth it. If they want, sila na lang. This was not the first time Creus walked out on me. They also did it in the 1998 elections. But the league has been successful," he said.

Still, Martinez said he intends to court Creus for the sake of unity in the league, recounting what he similarly did in the 1998 elections of the province’s LMP chapter.

Cebu Gov. Pablo Garcia, for his part, urged the Alayon faction to support the "duly elected officers of the LMP’s Cebu chapter under Martinez."

"There is only one LMP chapter in Cebu. As governor, I recognize the duly elected officers of the LMP’s Cebu chapter under Martinez," he said.

Martinez said the Alayon walkout was a sign of lack of sportsmanship. — Freeman News Service, Perseus Echeminada