Lim, Isko, city councilors start warming up for 2013

On the day 28 of the city council’s 38 members aligned themselves with the political party of former President Joseph Estrada, the camp of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said that any of the incumbent councilors would be welcome to join his Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran at Katarungan (KKK) party which is in coalition with the Liberal Party (LP).

“We are open to any of the councilors joining us,” Lim’s chief of staff Ricardo de Guzman said Thursday.

He issued the invitation even as the mayor’s running mate in the 2007 and 2010 elections, Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, was sworn in as a member of Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) which has teamed up with Vice President Jejomar Binay’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

Estrada earlier said that he was interested in running for Manila mayor next year with Domagoso as his running mate.

Sworn in along with Domagoso at Club Filipino in San Juan City were 22 city councilors. They were Ian Nieva, Irma Alfonso, Marlon Lacson, Ruben Buenaventura, Ramon Robles, Edward Tan, Joel Chua, Yul Servo, Re Fugoso, Ernesto Isip, Honey Lacuna-Pangan, Luisito Chua, Edward VP Maceda, Jocelyn Quintos, Mon Yupangco, Richard Ibay, Cristina Isip, Roberto Ortega, Rafael Borromeo, Danilo Victor Lacuna Jr., Elizabeth Rivera and Jocelyn Dawis-Asuncion.

Before their defection, most of them were members of LP or the Nacionalista Party.

Another councilor, Numero Lim, was supposed to take his oath as a PMP member but he failed to attend the ceremony.

Five other members of the city councilor are already allied with either PMP or PDP-Laban.

De Guzman, meanwhile, said that Lim had no comment on the defection of the majority of the council members to another party.

“That’s their right. But for now, we’ll just continue doing our jobs. The campaign period is still far off,” De Guzman told the Inquirer.

During the oath-taking ceremony at Club Filipino, Estrada announced that he would make a decision by May 12.

“Nine more days and you will know if I am pushing through with my plan to run or if Isko will be your mayor,” he said, confirming reports that UNA would pit Domagoso against Lim should Estrada decide not to seek the mayor’s seat in next year’s election.

Estrada, however, has already bought a house at the corner of Altura and Mangga Streets in Sta. Mesa, Manila, believed by many to be in compliance with the one-year residency requirement set under the law.

He told media that he would move into the house next week.

In a press statement, Domagoso said that he and the councilors changed camps due to a falling out between the council and Lim over certain policies, aside from the city government’s failure to give the benefits due to city employees, including teachers and policemen.