Camarines Sur execs vow support for Poe, Robredo

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Independent presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe waves to supporters on her visit on Tuesday to Camarines Sur province, where she gave a talk before teachers on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day. The celebration was held at Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum in Naga City, the bailiwick of the Liberal Party’s vice presidential candidate, Leni Robredo. MARK ALVIC ESPLANA/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

NAGA CITY—Officials of Camarines Sur, the province of newly minted Liberal Party (LP) vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo, on Tuesday pledged to support Sen. Grace Poe’s presidential run, but they are divided on her running mate.

Poe Tuesday met with local supporters in Pili and Naga and joined the celebration of World Teachers’ Day in the province, where she also outlined some of her plans to address specific concerns of its towns.

She praised the esteemed personalities who hailed from the Bicol region, including former Sen. Raul Roco, who she said championed education, and former Mayor Jesse Robredo, who pushed for transparency in government.

Camarines Sur Gov. Miguel Villafuerte said he, his father former Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, 24 town mayors and a slew of other local officials allied with them would support Poe.

The two Villafuertes, who are members of the Nacionalista Party (NP), would also back the candidacy of Leni Robredo for Vice President, with the governor saying they chose her over party members because she is from the province.

The NP has three members seeking the vice presidency—Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Alan Peter Cayetano and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“At the end of the day, it is hard to turn your back on a province mate, especially in the Bicol region,” Miguel Villafuerte told reporters after he hosted a gathering of local officials who declared their support for Poe.

“The Bicol region is proud to have a Vice President that comes from Camarines Sur,” he added.

The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in Camarines Sur, on the other hand, would support both Poe and her running mate Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, according to Rep. Rolando Andaya.

Andaya, the NPC provincial chair, spearheaded his own gathering of NPC supporters of Poe and Escudero in Naga Tuesday.

According to Andaya, Escudero, who hails from Sorsogon province, has been a “favorite” in the province. Bicolanos don’t just choose their candidates based on their hometowns, he said.

“They choose who is the most qualified out of the candidates. Chiz has been the most ready and willing, with no hesitation to serve. I think the Bicolanos see that,” he said.

Andaya said the first, second and fifth districts in the province were expected to back the Poe-Escudero tandem, while Robredo’s Naga City in the third district is expected to go for her running mate, Mar Roxas. The fourth district is held by the allies of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Poe thanked the Camarines Sur officials for their support.

Poe said voters were free to select their candidates in the vice presidential race, and one of them is Escudero who, she said, has already proven himself.

She also said Escudero helped her reach the Senate, and she has learned a lot of good from him, including the importance of early childhood education.

As for Leni Robredo, Poe said she had shown her competence.

Asked about the scenario should she and Leni Robredo win their respective races, Poe said she saw no problem working with the widow of the interior secretary who died in a plane crash in 2012.

“What is important is our intention for the country,” she said. “Whoever is there, whether it be Senator Chiz or any candidate that you would be working with, your sworn duty to serve must prevail.”

Concerns of towns

During her Naga visit, Poe also spoke about the concerns of the specific towns and what could be done about these.

Their concerns include the need for a community hospital, improved water systems, water impounding projects, irrigation, new roads, assistance for the coconut industry, and new and improved airports for the Bicol provinces.

“This administration has done a lot, but there are more that could still be done,” she said.

Poe also defended her father’s legacy.

She said she had been asked what was the example set by Fernando Poe Jr. that she wanted to continue, when her father had not even served in the government.

“What I learned from my father was that even as a private citizen, he helped people without question,” she said. These include movie industry workers to whom he provided jobs, as well as ordinary people.