Erap gets warm welcome in Chavit turf

By Gerry Baldo (The Daily Tribune)
 http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20100227hed3.html

CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur --- Former President Joseph Estrada was at a loss for words in describing how warmly he was received by the people of Ilocos Sur, the bailiwick of his former friend turned accuser, former Ilocos Sur Gov. and now Deputy National Security Adviser Luis “Chavit” Singson.

“I am very happy about the warm welcome given me here,” Estrada told reporters before partaking of a sumptuous lunch hosted by Candon City Mayor Allen Singson, son of Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson and a distant relative of Chavit.

Estrada, who motored to this city from Laoag in Ilocos Norte yesterday morning, said he may not get the votes he got here in 1998 when he ran for president because of his botched friendship with the former governor, but he is still confident of the support of a big block of votes coming from the supporters of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) gubernatorial candidate, broadcaster Efren “Rambo” Rafanan, who is said to have won the Ilocos Sur governorship but whose protest was never attended to by the Comelec.

Rafanan is Chavit’s arch political rival.

“That’s okay, that’s the way politics goes,” Estrada said at the city hall here where he was meet by Mayor Singson.

“I cannot express the right words to thank the people of Candon for the warm reception that they have given me. I cannot seem to find the right words to cnnvey to you my sense of thanks and gratitude to all our countrymen in Candon,” Estrada said.

He noted that when he won in 1998 Ilocos Sur was one of the provinces which got a big chunk of government projects that amounted to over P5 billion under his administration.

“There were a lot of projects that my administration earmarked for Ilocos Sur, as payment of my debet of gratitude to the people of Ilocos sur. They have given me their big trust in 1998,” he said.

The former President was with PMP senatorial candidates Francisco “Kit” Tatad, Joey De Venecia and re-electionist Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile when he dropped by the city hall here.

Rafanan, wearing PMP’s political color -- tangerine - said that the former President is going to get the votes of all his supporters.

Rafanan added that the support of the people of Ilocos Sur for Estrada is evident in how the people welcomed him here.

“You can see for yourself how many people have come to see him and welcome him,” Rafanan said. He was with Estrada at the city hall for lunch.

Estrada, at the same time, reacting to the reported coalition of the Nationalista Party and the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said that not all NPC members have coalesced with the NP.

“We also have a lot of NPC members with us, naming former Sen. Ernie Maceda, chairman emeritus of NPC, Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, who is also with the NPC but who is supporting is, he stressed, adding that the NPC is not solidly behind the move to coalesce with the NP.

“The NPC members have gone their different ways in supporting candidates. In NPC, they are given the freedom to choose the party they want,” he added.

He said he is confident that the PMP’s gubernatorial candidate against Chavit Singson will win in the May 10 elections.

“I already raised his hand and he is now with me, joining me in the motorcade, What else is needed?” he said.

Chavit Singson might endorse the senatorial bid of some candidates of the PMP.

Singson, in a chance interview during the provincial sortie of the PMP here, said that four of the senatorial candidates of the PMP could get his support including Tatad, De Venecia and reelectionist senators Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile.

“I will be supporting Jinggoy. That is what I said in Manila when I was interviewed, adding that their relationship today is ocordial.

He, however, said that he could not support the former President because of a broken friendship.

“Whenever we see each other, which is a rare occasion, we are civil with one another, But it doesn’t look possible to return to the same footing of our old friendship,” Singson said of his friendship with former President Estrada.

Singson also bolstered rumors that President Arroyo has abandoned Lakas Kampi CMD presidential bet former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro for Nationalista Party bet Manny Villar when he said that the decision on whether to endorse Teodoro would be decided upon by the 34 mayors of Ilocos Sur in a meeting scheduled on the first week of March.

He said that while Arroyo had endorsed the candidacy of Teodoro, they could support other presidential bets depending on the collective decision of the local chiefs executive here.

“That would depend on the mayors,” Singson, Lakas Kampi CMD’s chairman for Region 1, told reporters covering the PMP’s provincial sortie here.

Chavit said that his endorsement of Teodoro is “not automatic” despite his being the standard bearer of the administration.

Estrada and his party arrived here in a convoy of 20 vehicles from Laoag, Ilocos Norte en route to La Union in San Fernando for another political rally.

Meanwhile just a day after Erap Estrada claimed to have conquered the support of the fabled Marcos country, it was administration bet Gibo Teodoro’s turn to court support from the vote-rich province of La Union, one of the four comprising the Ilocos Region.

This even as the former defense secretary said he would personally lead mass actions should there be a failure of elections on May 10.

La Union Rep. Victor Ortega predicted that Teodoro would win in 12 to 13 towns in this province.

“He (Gibo) will win here, I cannot say the percentage but he will win here. Twelve to 13 towns are for him plus the city of San Fernando. All the nine towns of the first district will definitely root for him,” Ortega told the Manila-based reporters as he accompanied Teodoro in a forum attended by students at the Don Mariano State University here.

“Surveys merely serve as a guide. When the local campaign starts, we expect a ‘blizzard’ of support. When the LGUs move, then there will be a big surge (for Gibo) for sure. The local candidates and the LGUs cannot yet openly campaign and are quiet because local campaign period has yet to start. For certain, we have the majority of LGUs nationwide.”

Earlier in the day, Teodoro met with the local officials in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte along with the officers of the Department of Education (DepEd) and other local dignitaries to present his platforms of governance.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Michael Keon said that 17 of the province’s 23 mayors belong to Lakas-Kampi-CMD and all of them have personally committed to work for the victory of Teodoro.

“(Another presidential candidate) used to be strong here, but that has changed and Gibo is starting to pick up,” he said. “He is a man of substance and good in debates.”

Other local officials led by Ilocos Sur Gov. Deogracias Victor Savellano and Vice Gov. Jerry Singson said it was easy to “sell” Teodoro to Ilocano voters, especially the young ones, given the superior traits of the former defense secretary.

In an interview, Teodoro said he would join mass actions if failure of elections arises nationwide, calling on the police and military not to intervene. “But I am against that military and police to interfere,” Teodoro.

Expressing strong doubts on the capability of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to carry a credible nationwide full-automation of the May 10 elections, Teodoro called on Comelec chairman Jose Melo to come up with an objective position about their capabilities and limitations in implementing what he described as “ambitious” automated elections.

Charlie V. Manalo