By SEN GUINGGUING
Sunday Post
He just played it coy. May be because it was true to his nature not to make a big deal of anything that somehow smacks of a bragging right. But to some election watchers, City Mayor Dan Neri Lim was supposed to feel he was on Cloud 9.
But take it from the members party of former President Erap Estrada, and to Erap himself, who credited the leadership of Mayor Lim when he assembled such a mammoth crowd when the Pwersa ng Masa team barnstormed this city last Thursday.
A group of corporate moguls led by hotelier William Gatchialian joined Erap’s party which included reelectionist Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada. Other senatorial aspirants joined Erap’s group including Kit Tatad, Joey de Venecia, Cong. Rodulfo Plaza and Con. Jun Lozada.
Describing the crowd, Lim said it was “better than expectedâ€.
“It was really impressive,†he remarked on Friday while the PMP Pilipino standard-bearer was about to leave the city.
The mayor noted that the turn-out was particularly encouraging because Estrada was not perceived to be strong in Bohol.
He also noted that Bohol is primarily a pro-administration province so Erap was not expected to figure prominently being identified with the opposition.
At the same time, the former president is still occupying third place between the front-runners, Senators Benigno “Noynoy†Aquino III and Manuel Villar of the Liberal and Nacionalista parties respectively.
Thursday’s turn-out, however, exceeded expectations.
“I am happy for Pres. Erap,†Lim declared.
He noted that slowly but surely, the people are flocking back to the former president after realizing that he was sincere in his desire to serve.
Lim has always pointed out that the former President could have accepted the offer for him to leave the country with his family and retire in comfort.
“Pres. Erap, however, chose to face the cases filed against him, suffered the shame and embarrassment as an accused during the trial, listen to all the trumped up charges and fabricated evidence and bear the pain of being convicted because he wanted to clear his name,†he added.
The mayor said that it is not surprising that after all the allegations, ridicule and insults that he has received, the masses continue to support him.
“The election has given him the opportunity to submit himself to the people once again and hear from them what they think of him not only as a person but as president,†he added.
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