245 new LP members sworn in

NAGA CITY—The Liberal Party (LP) in Bicol swore in 245 new members, including four town mayors from Camarines Sur who used to belong to the erstwhile administration powerhouse, the Lakas-Kampi CMD.

The new members were sworn in by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, an LP stalwart, at the Villa Caceres Hotel here on Saturday, barely a year before the midterm elections.

Robredo said the entry of new members of the administration party showed LP gaining strength in Bicol, even as he stressed that the party would prefer more quality than quantity in its rank of members.

For the May 2013 elections, Robredo said the decision on whether to field candidates for local posts would depend on the capacity of the local LP chapters.

“This (LP) is not a traditional party wherein slates for elective positions are filled up just to say that they have strength,” Robredo said.

Roberto Bercasio, LP spokesperson in Camarines Sur, said the new members included four mayors of the five-town first district of Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr.

Andaya was a member of the LP-Atienza wing who left the party when it split in 2003. He joined the Lakas-Kampi in 2003 and became a strong ally of former President Macapagal-Arroyo. He rejoined the LP shortly before the 2010 elections although he remained allied with Ms Arroyo.

Bercasio said other new LP members came from Albay, Masbate and Catanduanes, with the main bulk coming from Camarines Sur.