Tit for tat over campaign billboard

A campaign billboard of the Liberal Party-Cebu’s Hilario “Junjun” Davide III along the national highway in Sibonga town, south Cebu, bears both his picture and that of his father, former chief justice Hilario “Jun” Davide Jr.

Rep. Pablo John “PJ” Garcia of One Cebu criticized the image, saying “There should be “truth in advertising”. “Gubernatorial candidates should not hide behind their fathers’ cloaks,”he said.

To which Davide, the candidate, replied in a statement that he found it “funny and shallow that Garcia had to make the picture of my father in our campaign materials an issue.”

Davide said “there was never an attempt to confuse the public concerning my candidacy.”

“The prominence of my father in some of our campaign materials simply reminds Cebuanos of the Davide brand of public service that my father, among other members of the family who had worked in government, have been recognized for and which Cebuanos can expect when I become governor,” he said.

Davide questioned PJ Garcia’s joint public appearances with his elder sister to reinforce his candidacy.

“If I recall, he also had tarps with the suspended governor Gwen Garcia’s image in the background. Isn’t he also close by her side in their campaign sorties like what they are doing now in Camotes? Isn’t he also trying to confuse the public then, if we go by his rationale?”

Gwen is running for congress representing Cebu’s 3rd district, while Camotes Island is up north in the 5th district.

Cebu Daily News asked Davide about the size of the billboard, which looks bigger than the 3 feet by 8 feet allowed by the Comelec for streamers, which are to be taken down 24 hours after a rally is held.

The Liberal Party Cebu replied that “it is not the campaign period yet. These will be taken down before March 29, which is the start of the campaign period.”