MANILA, Philippines – Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio expressed alarm over reports that Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid was running for governor of the province again, describing it as a “test of electoral maturity” for the people of Pampanga.

“Grabe ... grabe po (It’s too much),” Panlilio said when first asked about the prospect of Lapid’s return as governor.

He said Kapampangan voters would have to search their consciences and decide whether they would vote again for Lapid despite the alleged scams that plagued his rule as governor.

“I think it would be a test of electoral maturity of Kapampangan. During [Lapid’s] time, the quarry collection of one year was only P5 million, P10 million. The highest was P29 million,” the priest-turned-governor said. “In our first year, we collected P234 million. So, where’s the money?”

Panlilio said his officials are still computing the province’s latest earnings from quarry operations but the lowest for a month was P12 million.

“It went down from P24 million, P23 million a month to P12 million but it is picking up again. Last January [it] was already P15 million,” the priest-turned-public official said.

Cases

The elder Lapid was charged at the Sandiganbayan with graft over poor quarry tax collections and alleged irregularities in a land deal that involved provincial funds.

Lapid transferred his voter’s registration to Porac, Pampanga from Makati City on Jan. 20. In 2007, he ran for mayor of Makati against incumbent Mayor Jejomar Binay and lost miserably.

Lapid also renewed his driver’s license in the City of San Fernando.

These moves fueled talk that Lapid was running for governor again.

“Maybe he wants to come back to prove to himself and to the people that ‘I was not convicted of anything,’” Panlilio said.

“If [former President Joseph] Estrada was convicted and could still say now that he would again run [for president] if [the opposition] does not unite, what more Lito Lapid who has no conviction?” he said.

Big spender

But the governor said Lapid would also have to make an accounting of his performance at the Senate, especially since he was among its “biggest spenders” in 2007 with his office spending P15,103,242.15 in administrative expenses, according to the Commission on Audit.

“He is among the highest spenders in the Senate with [Senator Ramon] “Bong” Revilla Jr. How many laws has he made?” Panlilio said.

“Nahihiya kaming mga Kapampangan (We Kapampangan are embarrassed),” he added.