Eastern Samar Gov. Evardone quits Lakas party
By Christine Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:18:00 02/04/2008
Filed Under: Politics
MANILA, Philippines -- In what could be a sign of rougher days ahead for the ruling party, Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone resigned from the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and said Sunday night that 14 mayors would leave with him.
Evardone said he submitted his resignation letter to Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Lakas secretary general, last week in which he thanked the Lakas president, Speaker Jose de Venecia, for the party’s support for him in the last election.
He said he had also resigned as a member of the party national directorate and that means he would no longer attend its meeting and the Lakas anniversary on Feb. 7.
Evardone denied that his resignation had anything to do with the speakership row in the House of Representatives between De Venecia and Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, which is splitting the party.
“I can better serve my constituents if I join other political parties … I want to join a political party that I think is close to President Arroyo’s heart,” explained Evardone, who is spokesperson for the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, a group of local government executives.
“Where the President is, I will be there,” he said.
Evardone said he was now in talks with the President’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) but declined to say whether he had made up his mind to join the party.
He said 14 mayors in his province would likely join him in the party he would join.
Asked whether there were other Lakas governors who would follow suit and resign, he said: “Abangan” (Watch for it.)
“We in the governors league and Ulap had been discussing the issue of realignment of political forces in the country,” Evardone said. “We want to make sure the interest of the local government units are protected before and after the 2010 presidential polls.”
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