The father and son tandem of Reps. Pablo and Pablo John Garcia of Cebu’s 2nd and 3rd district respectively were each firming up their own respective bids for office last week in the run-up to next year’s elections.
Pablo John, chosen as local administration party One Cebu’s successor to his sister outgoing Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, said he’s hoping that Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of Cebu’s 4th district will endorse him as his gubernatorial bet.
The congressman said this after Daanbantayan Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot told him that she will follow Salimbangon’s lead.
“My leader in the 4th district is Salimbangon so I will follow Rep. Salimbangon’s lead,” Loot was quoted as saying.
In the 2010 national elections, Salimbangon supported Nacionalista Party (NP) standard bearer Sen. Manny Villar in contrast to One Cebu’s support of then Lakas presidential aspirant Gilbert Teodoro.
The congressman was with Governor Garcia when she visited Daanbantayan town during its Haladaya sa Kandaya Festival last week. He stayed for dinner until midnight to talk with Loot.
“She keeps repeating the fact that without my father Daanbantayan would still remain a third class municipality. She said she will be with those who will help Daanbantayan and who have helped Daanbantayan,” Pablo John said.
“Mayor Loot subscribes to the leadership of Rep. Benhur Salimbangon. She also said that she will follow Salimbangon as far as elections in 2013 are concerned. I think we can draw our own conclusion from that statement,” he added.
Loot earlier said she has deep respect for Deputy House Speaker Pablo “Pabling” Garcia but is committed to support the Liberal Party (LP) tandem of Hilario “Jun-jun” Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale in 2013.
Loot said ever since she was cut off from One Cebu following her fallout with Governor Garcia, Daanbantayan hasn’t received any assistance from the provincial government.
Instead, Loot said, they have been getting harassment suits in two administrative cases filed against her and her officials by the Provincial Board (PB).
One case involved her closure of illegal cemeteries in the town.
The second case involved the municipal treasurer’s lapse in remitting on time the town’s real property taxes to the Capitol.
But in last week’s Haladaya festival, both Loot and Governor Garcia were seen embracing each other and exchanging pleasantries.
The governor also pledged an initial half a million peso assistance to Daanbantayan town.
For his part, the elder Garcia said there are “emerging leaders” in the second district like Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Allan “Ronnie” Cesante whom he described as a leader with a “progressive mind.”
“You will see Mayor Ronnie not only in the entire town but in the entire district,” Garcia said.
The deputy House speaker said it was under Cesante’s leadership that Mantalungon town became the vegetable basket of the Visayas.
Cesante is the youngest child of the late Juan Cesante Sr. and Trinidad Gesalan. Juan Cesante, was a former town councilor of Dalaguete and Trinidad was a barangay chairperson in Manangal.
Cesante served as a town councilor in the late 1980s and then elected vice mayor in 1992. He was also elected as mayor in 1998 to 2007 where he served for three terms.
He then became vice mayor anew from 2007 to 2010 and won the mayoralty seat under the Lakas CMD-Kampi Party in 2010. Cesante is not an official One Cebu Party member. /Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent