Bohol Chronicle: The Panglao Bohol International Airport and the Bohol-Cebu Multi-Access Friendship Bridge have the strong support of administration coalition Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential timber Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr.
Bohol Gov.. Erico Aumentado expressed elation over the prospect of the early completion of the airport and the implementation of the bridge that will link the two provinces to enhance commerce.
Aumentado said his next two mega projects formed part of Teodoro's speech given during the Argao stop of the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo at the town's Hall of Justice. The governor joined the Suroy on the invitation of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. She had invited the governors and city mayors of Eastern, Central and Western Visayas to strengthen their bond and develop a common stand in issues and matters
concerning the island-provinces. The Suroy is a regular sortie Garcia makes to showcase the "must-sees" of Cebu's countryside.
To note, unlike Luzon and Mindanao where the provinces, except for a few, are located in one big island, the Visayas provinces are distributed one, two or at most, four to an island - a situation that requires frequent sea or air travel that inland settlers of both Luzon and Mindanao may not grasp.
Aumentado said Teodoro told the Suroy participants that travel will be more convenient with the two giant infrastructures in place.
Mactan needs a proximate alternate airport and Bohol needs a bigger airport to accommodate bigger aircraft to serve the increasing passenger and cargo traffic, especially with Aumentado aggressively promoting the province as an eco-cultural, adventure, agricultural and heritage tourism destination.
The governor added that the presidentiable also commented that, just like the islands in Malaysia are, Bohol and Cebu would be ideally connected through a bridge and that Hongkong has those bridges too.
Otherwise. he quoted Teodoro as saying, the islands might be left out in the development of the Asian region.
He also said given the break, Teodoro vowed to push these projects to be among the "cornerstone long-term infrastructure projects" of his administration.
Around 300 persons, majority of whom paid for their trip, participated in the latest Suroy. Some already joined the jump off from the Cebu Capitol while others caught up with the convoy as it negotiated the southern Cebu towns.
MANIFESTO
As eight governors were already present when the caravan reached Argao, they took it as an opportunity to hand Teodoro a manifesto of support for his presidential bid.
Aumentado signed the manifesto and joined his fellow governors in the photo opportunity that followed, dousing lingering doubts still entertained by his detractors and opponents as to his party loyalty.
It said the governors declared and manifest their full trust and confidence in and whole-hearted support for the leadership of Teodoro as President of the republic, and that he best represents the One Visayas ideal of competence in public service, intelligence in the service of the people, governance that is not dictated by politics but politics dictated by good governance, integrity that is beyond question and most importantly, humility that is inspired by the truth that we are all servants of the people.
With Garcia and Aumentado handing to Teodoro the manifesto were Governors Orlando Fua of Siquijor, Isidro Zayco of Negros Occidental, Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, Salvacion Perez of Antique, Felipe Nava of Guimaras and Damian Mercado of Southern Leyte. Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Rodriguez, Lakas-Kampi-CMD president, joined the Visayas governors in giving the manifesto to Teodoro.
To note, Aumentado's party mates in Bohol had engineered a scenario that the governor had committed acts inimical to the party such that Lakas-Kampi-CMD higher ups revoked his certificate of nomination, nominating in his stead Trinidad Mayor Judith Cajes, wife of incumbent but graduating Rep. Roberto Cajes of the 2nd District.
Aumentado sought reconsideration, citing lapses and apparent machination in the Cajes nomination, prompting the party hierarchy to reinstate his nomination and at the same time revoking that of Cajes.
But in their desire to be the party's official candidate for congress, the Cajeses brought their "battle" to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), leading Aumentado to file a petition ad cautelam last December 14 - to declare and recognize the uninterrupted validity of his certificate of nomination and acceptance (Cona) as contained in an affidavit executed by Secretary Prospero Pichay of the President's Office of Political Affairs and chair of the party's arbitration committee.
Pichay followed up his sworn statement with a letter to Comelec Chair Jose Melo and copy furnished all six other commissioners.
In a letter dated January 10 received by the Comelec on January 12, Pichay requested the commission to sustain the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party decision that had reinstated Aumentado on December 4, to retroact its validity and effectivity to the time of its issuance up to the present and at the same time, retroact the revocation of Cajes' Cona to the date it was issued - which was under dubious circumstances.
Pichay pointed out that since Cajes' Cona serial no. 23522 was ahead of Aumentado's 23565, the proper party officials authorized to sign it should have been Secretary Eduardo Ermita as party president and Secretary Gabriel Claudio as party secretary.
In his affidavit, Pichay had averred that the party decision to reinstate Aumentado is to revert to the original decision of fielding him as the only official candidate of the party for the position. He used this among the "cogent and compelling reasons" in requesting that Comelec sustain the party decision.
In another light, Pichay continued, it can also be judiciously assumed that the reinstated of Aumentado's Cona and revocation of Cajes' by Party President Miguel Rene Dominguez and Party Secretary General Francis Xavier Manglapus "be reasonably interpreted liberally as a substitution made by the party by clear and manifest party action since it was made before December 14, the deadline for substitution of candidates."
The party enunciation is consistent with the Supreme Court ruling that "the determination of disputes as to party nominations rests with the party… (Sinaca vs. Mula, 373 Phil 896 (1989), cited in LDP vs. Comelec, G.R. no. 161265, February 24, 2004), Pichay said.
He added that congruently, the High Tribunal had also declared that the electoral process envisions one candidate from a political party for each position, and disunity and discord amongst members of a political party should not be allowed to create a mockery thereof.
The admonition against mocking the electoral process not onlu applies to political parties but with greater force to the Comelec (Recabo Jr., vs. Comelec, G.R. no. 134293, June 21, 1999, 308 SCRA 793, he said.
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