UNA, LP alliances okay for Team Rama

LIBERAL Party or United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)?

That’s the question facing  the national party affiliation of Team Rama candidates after one of its officials said the group can run under both banners even if they get endorsements from both parties.

Councilor Jose Daluz III  said Team Rama’s candidates could still be adopted candidates of UNA, the coalition formed by Vice President Jejomar Binay and the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) of former president Joseph Estrada.

Daluz and former congressman Antonio Cuenco were appointed as Cebu City chairman and regional chairman of PDP-Laban. The PDP-Laban was recently split into two factions.

One faction is with Vice President Jejomar Binay and Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and the other is with Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Pimentel swore in Dr. Marlon Maamo as PDP-Laban’s congressional candidate for Cebu City’s north district last week.

Pimentel, who identified Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as being part of the PDP-Laban slate, is reportedly being considered as a guest candidate of the Liberal Party senatorial lineup.

Team Rama’s standard bearer, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama considers himself as part of the Liberal Party (LP). Daluz said he sees no problem with Maamo being selected as PDP-Laban congressional candidate.

“UNA is with the policy that any decision on local politics, they leave it to their local candidates.  But everything is still very fluid for now,” Daluz said.

Daluz said some Team Rama candidates like talent manager Anabelle Rama will mostly likely not receive an LP endorsement because the administration party is endorsing Rep. Rachel del Mar of Cebu City’s north district.

Del Mar is with the local administration Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) in the north district. Daluz said Anabelle can run under the Team Rama–UNA.

Daluz said Team Rama’s adoption by UNA would mean funding assistance for their campaign. Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district said the BO-PK won’t mind if it doesn’t receive the LP’s endorsement.

He said BO-PK candidates can all file their certificates of candidacy as independents since they have their own political machinery.

Daluz said there are plans to organize an oath-taking for PDP Laban Cebu City allies when Cuenco returns to the city later this month. “We will resolve all the concerns of the group before the filing of COCs next month,” he said.

For his part, Cuenco said he will explain his reasons behind his sudden decision to drop his congressional bid for Cebu City’s south district by the end of this month.

He promised this as he castigated his successor, Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district for being mean by insinuating that he is making up stories to facilitate a graceful exit from the congressional race.

“I will clarify everything when I return home (to Cebu City by) end of this month,” Cuenco said in a text message even as he denied that barangay captains in the city’s south district already abandoned him.

“That’s not true.  He (Osmeña) is so mean a creature,” said Cuenco’s text message to Cebu Daily News. Cuenco holds office as Secretary General of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

His son James Cuenco announced last Friday that his father decided to quit because he’s suffering from vertigo.

Daluz, who was endorsed by Cuenco as his replacement in Team Rama, said Cuenco would have wanted to just campaign by speaking in radio programs.

But Cuenco’s family wanted him to retire.Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac