More Bicol politicos join Duterte camp

BICHARA INQUIRER PHOTOS

NAGA CITY—Despite allegations that he has undeclared wealth, presidential front-runner and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte continues to attract big names in politics, with Bicol officials joining the bandwagon.

On Friday, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara, Ako Bicol Rep. Christopher Co and former Catanduanes Gov. Leandro Verceles Jr. pledged their support for the tough-talking Duterte in a campaign rally attended by 10,000 spectators at the old central business district here.

Bichara is running for Albay governor while Verceles is staging a comeback in the lone congressional district of Catanduanes against reelectionist Rep. Cesar Sarmiento of the Liberal Party (LP).

Andaya, who earlier supported Sen. Grace Poe’s presidential bid, said he switched to Duterte because he believes the Davao mayor is a leader who can stand for the interest of Camarines Sur province.

“It was a process. There were feelers sent. The agreement is mutual. Rounds of consultations with leaders were done and the obvious answer was to transfer to the camp of Duterte,” he said.

ANDAYA

Andaya, a Nationalist People’s Coalition candidate, who represents the first district of Camarines Sur, is running for reelection against Apolinar “Yonyon” Napoles, a priest, of LP.

At the end of his two-hour talk, Duterte raised the hands of Andaya, Bichara, Verceles, Co and a number of candidates running for local positions in Naga City.

Dante Jimenez, founder of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and one of the supporters of Duterte, said the people who gathered to see the mayor here were not herded.

“We can see that Bicolanos stuck it out with Duterte. It’s unbelievable,”  Jimenez said.

He said supporters of Duterte in Bicol are called “One Bicol,” which was conceptualized in Masbate when Duterte visited the island province in the second week of April.

Jimenez said One Bicol comprised prominent politicians in the region that include former Gov. Jesus Typoco Jr. of Camarines Norte, Andaya of Camarines Sur, Verceles of Catanduanes, the late Leovic Dioneda (who died on April 18, but replaced by his son, Mark Eric, in the Sorsogon City mayoral race) in Sorsogon, former Gov. Antonio Kho in Masbate, and Bichara and Co in Albay.

But other top politicians in the region were supporting another candidate. Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said he and three other Bicol governors—Edgardo Tallado of Camarines Norte, Miguel Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur and Raul Lee of Sorsogon—will back Poe’s candidacy.