By Sunday Post
Two cousins are poised to cancel each other if no cooler heads will prevail upon them as a result of the coming presidency of the Philippine Councilors League, Bohol chapter. This early in the game, Councilor-elect Alexander Lim was in the warpath after he learned that Board Member Brigido “Boy†Imboy, husband of Loay Mayor Rosemarie “ May†Lim-Imboy, and first degree cousin of the city alderman, was in the thick of the campaign to push the candidacy of Antonio Quano, Jr. as PCL president. Claiming as the only Liberal Party contender to the PCL presidency, Lim made his intention to run as president of the councilors’ league apparently ahead of the pack.
According to Lim, if “push comes to shove†he is ready to face the Imboys money for money, pound for pound, if only to clinch the PCL presidency. What apparently drove the goat of the city councilor was the information that the Imboys’ daughter, Rochelle Brigette Imboy, was drafted as Quano’s executive vice president to pave the way for the young municipal councilor of becoming the next PCL president in a reported “time-sharing agreementâ€.
Quano, in a separate radio interview, denied having struck such a deal with the Imboy daughter. The Getafe councilor even denied he was amenable to any agreement that will slash his term of office if ever elected as PCL president. But, for his part, Lim insisted that indeed Quano and the Imboys of Loay already sealed the deal for the share of the three-year term of a PCL president. Lim, cited an impeachable source, as having intimated to him of a Quano-Imboy term share deal.
Another sinister plot the Imboys are hatching as claimed by Lim is the possibility of the emerging dynasty dominating the Sangguniang Panlalawigan where four members are poised to join the ranks of the provincial law making body three of whom as ex-oficio members.
At the moment, the elder Imboy who was fresh from reelection will remain as such in the company of his son Jethro Nathaniel Imboy, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) federated president who also occupies an ex-officio seat at the provincial board.
Sources close to this family are saying that it seems the Imboys are fortifying their fort not just in Loay, where the mayoralty post is held by Mayor May who is on her way to a third term, but also the principal lawmaking body of the province.
According to reports, the newly-elected Loay councilor Rochelle Brigitte, youngest daughter of Board Member Boy and Mayor Mae, is eyeing the presidency of the Bohol Chapter of the PCL, a position formerly held by her father. Considering the family’s political clout and financial kitty, the councilor-elect could well be on her way to joining the provincial board, since the PCL president automatically becomes an ex-officio member of the SP.
By October this year, another daughter of the Imboys, Roxanne Mae, is reportedly running for barangay captain in Calvario, Loay, one of Loay’s 24 barangays. Whether she will succeed in her bid to be a barangay captain is again a “no brainerâ€. Right after the barangay election, barangay captains will also choose their own provincial federated president, which is the “next business to take care of†for the Imboys.
The Association of Barangay Captains (ABC or Liga ng Barangay) president likewise takes another ex-officio post in the provincial board. With the latest addition of Roxanne Mae and Rochelle Brigitte into the SP, the Imboys will virtually be a controlling faction of the 13-member provincial board. A single bloc that could swing the vote of either the majority or minority.
But before this scenario could actually play out, the Imboys will have to take care of their business: politics. According to reports, the Imboys are already campaigning for Brigitte to incoming municipal and city councilors for the coming PCL derby which could turn out into a bloody match since the PCL seat is also being sought by city councilor-elect Lim, a cousin of the Lim-Imboy combine.
In an interview with media recently, Atty. Lim expressed surprise that the Imboys have decided to field their own daughter against him. This despite having announced his own intentions to the couple during the Loay fiesta at the Imboy household last May 28.
The first ploy was for Councilor-elect Rochelle Imboy to team up with the ticket of another PCL hopeful, Getafe Councilor Antonio Ouano Jr., as executive vice president of the councilors league, and forge a term-sharing agreement with Imboy. However, this was denied by Ouano during a radio interview, who said he is pushing through his bid for PCL president without any term-sharing scheme with Imboy.
He said if he wins, he intends to serve the full three-year term as ex-officio Board Member. But Atty. Lim, who had once served as Provincial Board Member, said there is no more turning back from this fight. Lim, elected as a member of the Liberal Party (LP) is counting on the support of Bohol’s top officials who mostly belong to LP.
Political observers say the plot of the Imboys is not just an issue of political dynasty but that of their personal interest, especially the family’s vested business connections.
This observation became clear during the recently concluded debate when the SP passed an ordinance for the creation of Bohol’s Public-Private Partnership-Regulatory Authority (PPP-RA).
Board Member Imboy vehemently insisted on inserting provision that allows the inclusion of a representative from the business sector in the PPP-RA. However, this proposal was eventually opposed and struck down by other board members.
The controversial Imboy couple have their share of critics. Both are facing graft charges at the Ombudsman. Board Member Brigido is also being criticized for his failure to submit financial reports during his incumbency as PCL head.
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