Panlilio to take oath as LP member; Pineda running for governor

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga , Philippines  – Gov. Eddie Panlilio will take his oath this Thursday as member of the Liberal Party, former provincial board member Lilia Pineda will run for governor, and presidential sister Cielo Macapagal-Salgado remains undecided on a congressional bid for Congress in this province’s 2nd district, regardless of whether she would run against her sister President Arroyo or her nephew Rep. Mikey Arroyo.

These are among the latest developments in this province as the political tempo continues to beat faster toward the May elections next year.

In a text message to The Star, Panlilio, who has remained without any political party since he won the governorship as an independent candidate in 2007, said he will take his oath as LP member on Thursday in the party’s political gathering in Cubao, Quezon City.

“But not for senator. Not yet for gov,” his text message said, with the word not spelled in capitals in the first sentence referring to his possible senatorial bid.

His being sworn into the LP has virtually erased his earlier option of returning to priesthood. An official of the provincial capitol who asked not to be named noted that “it would be absurd for Among Ed to return to being a priest soon after affiliating himself with LP.”

Panlilio earlier said the LP had earlier invited him and Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca to join its senatorial slate.

“Panlilio has good chances of winning as a senator. I doubt if he will make it in a gubernatorial reelection bid because most of his supporters have already left him,” said  1st district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin, considered as one of this province’s political patriarch.

Even as Pampanga 1st district Rep. Carmelo Lazatin, considered the patriarch of politics in Pampanga, said Mrs. Pineda, whose electoral case against Panlilio is expected to be resolved before next year’s polls, will definitely run for governor. Mrs. Pineda, who was the candidate of the administration Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi) party, lost to Panlilio by 1,147 votes.

“I was assured she will run. Dennis also told me it’s definite,” Lazatin said, referring to Mrs. Pineda’s son Lubao Mayor Dennis Pineda who is also president of the Pampanga Mayors’ League. The Star could not immediately reach Mrs. Pineda who is known to be a close friend of the President.

Cielo Macapagal-Salgado, elder half-sister of the President, said in a text message yesterday that she has remained undecided on whether to seek the congressional post in Pampanga’s second district, when asked whether she would run for the post regardless of whether the Chief Executive or her nephew Mikey would also seek the same office.

Salgado, in an earlier interview, recalled that in the 2004 elections, her brother Arthur was supposed to run for Congress in the second district but gave way to Mikey. She and Arthur are children of the late President Diosdado Macapagal by his first wife.

For his part, Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao said that he expected pro-administration political leaders to keep their ranks strong amid expectations that more rivalry from opposition camps in next year’s polls.

“We have to keep strong at the local level because unlike before when almost all candidates were pro-administration, the next elections will see candidates from parties not allied with the administration,” he said.

Sen. Lito Lapid earlier announced he would run for Pampanga governor. San Fernando City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said he would seek a third term, but various sectors have been urging him to run for governor.

Electoral protest

Meanwhile, Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer of the 2nd division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said he is confident Mrs. Pineda’s electoral protest against Panlilio will be resolved even up to the level of the Supreme Court before the May elections.

Ferrer declined to issue any figure from the tabulated results of the recount of gubernatorial votes cast in Pampanga, after 21 committees finished the recount last September.

“It’s not really top secret as the lawyers of the contending parties were given copies of the reports of the committees, but they really cannot be sure about their figures since the Comelec’s second division has yet to rule on their objections,” he said.

“Besides, we would like to avoid a trending case,” he said. Ferrer said that his second division has already held three hearings on the electoral case since the committees finished their recount. The next hearing is on Nov. 12.

He said that in these series of hearings, the lawyers of Panlilio and Pineda produce their evidences to support their observations on the ballots during the recount by the 21 committees. This would be followed by rebuttal by either parties, he said.

Ferrer said that he expected his division to finish with the hearings and promulgate its judgement on the case “not later than the end of November.”

In related developments, former Pangasinan Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino said there will be more exodus of Lakas members who will defect to the Liberal Party (LP) in the next few days following the bolting of about 50 other politicians from the administration party last Friday.

Lambino, former provincial chair of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats in Pangasinan and his co-chair, second district Rep. Victor Agbayani, led fellow Pangasinan leaders to jump ship to LP and were sworn in by Sen. Mar Roxas and former Sen. Franklin Drilon, president and chairman, respectively, of LP, witnessed by Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. III who is the party’s standard bearer in 2010 elections.  – With Eva Visperas