Quezon solon defends family vs Aquino tirades

LUCENA CITY—House Minority leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez on Tuesday defended his family from the tirades of President Benigno Aquino during a campaign sortie of the administration senatorial ticket in Quezon province.

In a phone interview, Suarez said the President was right in saying Bondoc Peninsula is the Suarezes’ bailiwick but not because of “shades of political terrorism” but because the family’s sincerity in helping the people is being recognized.

During the campaign sortie of Team PNoy’s senatorial candidates in Catanauan town, Mr. Aquino took potshots at the political clan that had ruled Quezon’s third district for the past two decades, apparently referring to the Suarez family.

The President claimed that clan members continued to enrich themselves in office while their constituents were wallowing in poverty.

“That was very unfair. The President could have been misinformed. The district has tremendously improved and progressed a lot during our long years of service,” Suarez said.

He said when he started serving as representative of the Bondoc Peninsula district 21 years ago, the place was one of the poorest parts of the country.

Suarez said there were no roads to speak of and more than 70 percent of the area was under the influence of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

“But now, the NPA’s presence is already scarce. The long span of our concrete highway along the stretch of Bondoc Peninsula continues to trigger impressive development in  all our towns,” he said.