Billboards of Tupas, wife rise in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY— It’s too early for Christmas but Iloilo Rep. Niel “Junjun” Tupas Jr., a close ally of President Aquino, has billboards displayed in northern Iloilo province greeting “best wishes” to the public.

The billboards in the 5th congressional district, which Tupas represents, have been targeted by anti-“epal” advocates on the Internet as an example of the attention seeking or credit grabbing of politicians. Epal is a slang for the Filipino term “mapapel,” or credit grabbing, attention seeking or scene stealing, especially for government projects and programs.

Tupas finds nothing wrong with the billboards, insisting that his own money, not public funds, were used.

He said he had been putting up similar billboards since 2004 and was not limited to occasions.

“It’s just a greeting. There’s no issue,” he told the Inquirer.

The giant billboards prominently displayed in town centers and major roads and intersections show images of Tupas, his wife and chief of staff Angeli Lee-Tupas and their daughter and son. The names of the couple are displayed in bold letters.

At the bottom of the full-colored billboard is a seal of the House of Representatives beside the text “5th District, Iloilo.”

Tupas, a stalwart in the ruling Liberal Party, is chair of the House committee on justice and was chief prosecutor in the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona. His committee is investigating the use of the Judiciary Development Fund.

The display is also seen as part of the legislator’s move to promote his wife as successor.

Tupas is on his third and last term as representative of his district, which includes the towns of Barotac Viejo, Ajuy, Sara, Lemery, San Rafael, Concepcion, Batad, Balasan, Carles, San Dionisio and Estancia.

He has publicly pushed that his successor should be a lawyer like him. His wife was a classmate in the University of the Philippines College of Law.

Reached for comment in Manila, Tupas said: “For local politics, 2016 is still far. It’s too early to talk who will run in my district.”

His apparent support for his wife has triggered a publicized rift within the Tupas family, as some of his sibling are believed to be supporting his younger brother, Iloilo Vice Gov. Raul Tupas, to run for congressman in the 2016 elections.

Critics found the billboards foul.

“They treat Iloilo like their house. There’s a family picture,” said a critic in a post in Filipino on the Anti-Epal Facebook page.

“They are now using family pictures. That’s too much,” another post said.

Tupas dismissed the remarks. “I don’t want to stoop down to the critics who are obviously [political rivals]. I don’t want to comment further on that,” he told the Inquirer.

The Tupas family is one of the province’s dominant political clans, whose bailiwick is in Barotac Viejo.

Tupas, the eldest of seven siblings, first served as provincial board member from 2004 to 2007 representing the fifth district. He was elected representative in 2007, defeating his cousin Enrique Suplico Jr., who ran to replace his brother and former Iloilo Rep. and Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan in Manila