MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada has endorsed the senatorial bid of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino, calling him “a man with unquestionable integrity.”
In an interview on Friday, the former president said Tolentino would be a good lawmaker, as he also cited his being a lawyer and former Tagaytay City mayor. Tolentino served as officer in charge of Tagaytay after the 1986 Edsa Revolution and as mayor from 1995 to 2004.
In Estrada’s view, Tolentino “performed well” as MMDA chief, noting that the job came with many challenges especially with regard to traffic management. “There were a lot of construction projects (causing road congestion). Traffic also worsened because there was an increase in the number of cars yet no additional roads were built.”
Estrada said he, too, wouldn’t be able to solve that problem.
The MMDA chief is the second senatorial aspirant in the 2016 elections to be publicly endorsed by Estrada. On Wednesday, the mayor also expressed his support for Bayan Muna party list Rep. Neri Colmenares.
Estrada put in a good word for Tolentino a day after the latter drew flak over a sexually suggestive dance number that spiced up a Liberal Party event in Cabuyao, Laguna. An emcee at the program—which was covered by the media and whose audience included children and college students—described the performing group, The Playgirls, as the MMDA chair’s birthday gift to Laguna Rep. Benjie Agarao, the event host.
Tolentino later denied bearing such gifts, saying the emcee was “probably misinformed.”
In a chance interview on Friday, Tolentino thanked Estrada for the endorsement but declined to answer further questions regarding the program in Laguna.
Estrada said the LP would be “losing a good man” if reports prove true that the ruling party would be dropping him because of The Playgirls fiasco.
The mayor said he found “nothing immoral” about it. “They didn’t take off their clothes. That’s the trend now; nothing malicious there. Times have changed a lot.”