2,000 Roco supporters defect to Arroyo camp

MALOLOS CITY — Some 2,000 supporters of presidential candidate Raul Roco, who left for the United States for prostate cancer diagnosis last Tuesday, defected to the camp of President Arroyo yesterday.

Mrs. Arroyo swore in the former Roco followers as members of the Norzagaray Volunteers for GMA, during her sortie here yesterday, in the presence of Gov. Josefina de la Cruz and Vice Gov. Aurelio Plamenco, both re-electionists under the Lakas-CMD party.

The defectors are supporters of Norzagaray mayoral bet Floro Gener who left Kampi to join Lakas-CMD after De la Cruz threw her support behind him.

De la Cruz backed Gener’s candidacy after she dumped Matilde Legaspi, wife of incumbent Mayor Feliciano Legaspi, for supporting the vice gubernatorial bid of Raymond Pagdanganan, son of Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan.

Pagdanganan has claimed to be the official Lakas-CMD bet for vice governor. But De la Cruz, the party’s provincial head, belied this, saying she and Plamenco enjoy the "equity of the incumbent." — James Mananghaya