TACLOBAN
CITY, Aug. 10-- More local government officials in Leyte province will likely
abandon the Liberal Party (LP) to join the ruling Partido Demokratiko
Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Leyte Governor Dominico Petilla said
on Thursday.
Petilla
said that it’s possible that their allies in the provincial board and local
chief executives from 40 towns in Leyte will also jump ship to the party of
President Rodrigo Duterte.
The
governor and his brother, former Energy secretary Jericho, joined the mass
oath-taking last August 2 of new PDP-Laban members officiated by Senate
President Aquilino Pimentel III, also the ruling party’s president.
The two
brothers were stalwarts of the Liberal Party of former president Benigno Aquino
III in Leyte province. In October 2012, Aquino appointed then-governor Jericho
as Department of Energy chief. Last year, Jericho ran for senator under the LP
ticket, but lost.
Dominico
said they abandoned the Liberal Party to show to the President that they are
supportive of all programs and projects of the central government.
“This is
for the good of our people here so that our national government will not
hesitate to pour funds for various programs in our province,” the governor
said.
“If I’m
not with the administration party, there is a gap between the local government
and the national government. This is to let them know that we are here to help
them succeed in the implementation of programs in the province.”
He said
there’s a huge possibility that other local officials in the province will also
join the ruling party, including their mother, Palo town Mayor Remedios
Petilla.
Their
cousin, Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto is also open to shifting party
affiliations. He said that if there are invitations for him to join PDP-Laban,
he will likely accept it.
“Why not?
The bottom line is party affiliation in politics does not really play a big
role in the performance or duty of a politician or government official.
However, party affiliation plays a big role in fulfilling our promises to the
people,” Loreto explained.
Having
aligned with the top officials of the country makes it easier for the local
government official to seek financial support for programs and projects. (Sarwell
Q Meniano and Roel T. Amazona/PNA)
No comments:
Post a Comment