LP gets rude welcome in Liloan town

The Liberal Party got a rude welcome in Liloan town  after they found their posters defaced as they barnstormed into the bailiwick of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as part of their northern swing.

Some of the posters which bore the image of the LP’s provincial standard bearers Hilario “Junjun” Davide III and runningmate, Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale were covered.

“Our posters in Lilo-an were covered. I could not even find the right word to say, but let us just leave it at that. Pasagdan na lang na nato sila kay dili man ta pareha nila. Maglagot na nuon ang mga tawo ana. Fair is fair,” Davide, who is running for governor, said.

Asked to comment on the defaced posters, Magpale, who is running for vice governor, said: “I’m glad you notice that.”

The LP tandem however, said  they will not resort to “tarpaulin war”.

Davide encouraged their supporters to follow the Comelec’s fair elections guidelines.

“We prefer that our posters will be placed on their houses, sari-sari stores and in their private properties,” he said.

Under the Fair Elections Act, posters should be placed in common poster areas. Consent from the owners is also needed if a poster is to be placed on a private property.

Magpale agreed with Davide to let the tarpaulin war pass.

“We will never do that. This team is very ethical as what (senatorial candidate) Risa (Hontiveros) was saying,” Magpale said.

The LP candidates braved the scorching heat as their motorcade snaked into Mandaue City, Consolacion and Danao and made whistlestops in Catmon, Sogod, Borbon, Tabogon, Lioan, Carmen and Bogo City.

“We feel we are very strong now. We are strong in most towns and cities based on the consultations we hadvlong before our campaign. A lot of people are tired with the Garcias,” Davide said.

The coalition between Liberal Party and Bakud has helped him a lot in his campaign for governor.

In the 2010 election, Davide lost to incumbent Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

Garcia gained the most votes in the 5th district. At that time, the Garcias and the Duranos were still allies.

But this time its different, said Magpale, who is a member of the Durano family.

“I think the fifth district will really deliver to LP,” Magpale said in an interview.

“We are so hapy to have the support of Bakud,” Davide said.

Senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros, Rep. Luigi Quisumbing, 5th District congressional aspirant Ace Durano, and 6th District Rep. Celestino “Tining” Martinez III also joined the LP caravan. Former senator Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay, who is seeking a return to the Senate, is set to join the campaign swing today.

No government-owned vehicles were used in the LP caravan.

“This is the first time that we have this kind of caravan,” says Davide who patterned it to that of the presidential caravan led by Pres. Benigno Aquino during the campaign in 2010.

Magpale said the four-day caravan won’t affect the smooth delivery of services in the Capitol.

“Capitol is just a phone call away, and papers that need to be signed can either be brought to me or I can easily go back to the city when the day ends,” she said.

Davide said President Aquino is scheduled to join their campaign on the third week of April but the venue is still tentative depending on how long the president can stay. /Senior Reporter Marian Codilla