BE HONEST The past weeks have seen the Grand Design of Deception against the Boholano people, packaged in a malicious distortion of facts with the end in sight of destroying the image of CONG. EDGAR M. CHATTO, a distinguished public servant who has reaped exemplary service honors and leadership excellence awards in varied roles he has found himself. Lies have been peddled without fear also to put the Lakas-Kampi-CMD in bad light at the expense of the faithful and steadfast party leaders and members.
The issues alleged are summarized as follows:
1. That Catigbian Mayor Roberto Salinas was unceremoniously rejected in his congressional bid in the First District.
In the words of then Political Affairs Sec. Gabriel Claudio and Gov. Erico Aumentado, the First District is a "zone of peace" for Chatto and Herrera camps to settle. While discussions were supposed to take place, Salinas was suddenly pushed for congressman. He admitted that he was told to run for congressman by Aumentado. This was done without the benefit of consultation with and courtesy to Chatto, who was then the very District Chairman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD. Salinas confided to the congressman that a Villar camp representative approached him for the same purpose, followed by Danao Mayor Thomas Gonzaga and, finally, by the governor. Chatto politely cautioned Salinas of discussions being pushed involving the First District. He candidly told him that it was for the same reason that he has in fact, not yet committed any support to anyone for the congressional seat. The same caution was verbalized during the meeting of all Catigbian Municipal and Barangay Officials led by Salinas and Vice-Mayor Necitas Digaum.
Subsequent events showed Salinas making rounds in the First District towns, even with groups not belonging to the party, installing tarpaulins all over the district. He failed to get the nomination in the end. So why blame Chatto?
Even his own barangay officials understood the circumstances surrounding his failure to secure the nomination. In their own words, their mayor did not also consult them about his plan to run for Congress. All they expected was that he was preparing for reelection. He only discussed the matter with his fellow Catigbian municipal officials, who were surprised to hear him say "We are going to play a game this time---to start as Lakas and end up as NP." The same officials could not believe their Lakas mayor could say it, much less betray his own party, until Salinas and some other mayors just recently signed a manifesto against the Lakas leaders. Their belief was confirmed when Salinas gathered them a week after the manifesto and demanded from each of them to commit to move with him to NP.
The decision to forge a coalition with the LDP was a collective act as evidenced by a signed document, dated November 24, 2009, addressed to National Party Chairman Gibo Teodoro, now our official presidential candidate. A similar letter of same date was addressed to Aumentado as Regional and Provincial Party Chairman then. Both documents were signed by Chatto, Secretary Art Yap, Cong. Roberto Cajes, Cong. Adam Relson Jala and former Cong. Eladio Jala.
During the CONA distribution at La Roca Hotel in Tagbilaran City on November 28, 2009, Aumentado categorically and emphatically supported the Lakas-Kampi-CMD-LDP Coalition. He declared, "Nalipay ko nga bisan dunay mibiya kanato nga atong mga kauban sa partido, duna say lig-on nga misulod sa atong partido ubos sa koalisyon Lakas-Kampi-CMD ug LDP nga gipangulohan ni Sen. Angara ug ang ato nga coalition partner nga mao usab kini ang atong (kandidato sa) congressman. Ang atong gubernatorial candidate maoy mopahibalo niini. Sa way lipod-lipod ako mosuporta ni kanhi Gob. Rene Relampagos pagka representante sa Primero Distrito kay usa kini ka conciliating factor; nga duna kitay nawala apan daghan ug dako usab nga pundok ang mibali ug mopuli sa mga mibiya kanato. (I am happy that even if we had partymates who left, there are strong ones joining us under the coalition of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and LDP, which is led by Sen. Angara and our coalition partner who will also be our (candidate for) congressman. Our gubernatorial candidate will make the announcement. Without reservation, I will support former Gov. Rene Relampagos for representative of the First District because this is a conciliatory factor; that we lost some but a greater and bigger group has joined us to fill their place.)†This Aumentado declaration received a thunderous applause from the party members, including the municipal slates.
Hence, it is very clear that there was concurrence by the local party to the coalition. It is crystal clear that Salinas has no basis to stand on in blaming Chatto and the party for his failure to get the nomination.
2. The Shameless manipulation that led to the revocation of the CONA issued to Gov. Aumentado for the 2nd Congressional District, was an evident treachery because the conspirators waited until the last minute for the filing of candidacy on Dec. 1, 2009 before they revealed the revocation.
In a live interview over “Inyong Alagad†on Station DYRD on Dec. 2, 2009, Lakas National Secretary-General Francis Manglapus exhaustively discussed the causes and reasons behind the revocation, to include acts inimical to party interest. He also categorically stated that Cong. Chatto was not behind and had no knowledge of the revocation. "It was not in consultation with him (Chatto) but with all the different levels of the political intelligence and that it was not an instant decision although it may be perceived as a last minute revocation," Manglapus said.
The revocation of the CONA of Aumentado was a consequence of his own doing. What has motivated his GRAND SCHEME of fielding two (2) slates in Bohol to serve the interests of two parties – Lakas and NP - is very obvious to the well-meaning Boholanos. It is too glaring to hide and is easily noticed by just looking at the circumstances of events and the persons involved in both sides of the equation.
We share the views of the hate manifesto signatories when "they watched the 2 events with sadness and frustration." But we say here that these could have been avoided if there were consultations prior to Aumentado’s late and “last-minute†turn-over of the provincial party chairmanship to Chatto on Nov. 28, 2009, already three days before the deadline of the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (COC). They could not blame the present party leaders while we agree that the normal process of consultation should have been observed.
3. The fielding of candidates against loyal party members such as in the towns of Talibon, Getafe and Dagohoy.
Congressman Cajes may have his own reasons for putting up the said slates in some 2nd District towns considering that he is the incumbent congressman there. Chatto endeavored to maintain impartiality to the last minute even as the mayors of Dagohoy and Talibon openly expressed preference for Villar and Herrera earlier.
Aumentado and Cajes had then agreed to elevate the issue involving Dagohoy, Talibon and Getafe to the national headquarters due to the peculiarity of their political scenario. Meanwhile, Chatto’s focus was then confined to the First District where he was the district party chairman at that time. It cannot, therefore, stand to attribute to Chatto the seeming conflict among the Lakas members in the said 2nd District towns. Again, this is an offshoot of the calculated delay in the turnover of the provincial party chairmanship.
4. The claim of Getafe, Dagohoy and Buenavista of a 12-0 win for Lakas senatorial slate in the 2007 elections is part of the victory that is shared with other municipalities. These towns were lucky in being not among the municipalities where sample ballots released from the Governor's Mansion suddenly had insertions of NP candidate and other names not belonging to the party. The “polka dots†sample ballots were spread out even if a 12-0 result was “strongly emphasized†by the governor himself. Having delivered a 12-0 sweep in the past poll cannot guarantee the same loyalty now that Gibo Teodoro is the standard bearer and not the sitting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The pattern of deception has begun repeating itself. The cycle is coming to full vicious circle. Luckily for the people, the same perpetrators have again exposed themselves---and earlier this election time. They mentioned Balilihan and Trinidad as having not delivered a 12-0 sweep, but not Aumentado’s hometown of Ubay which result was only 9-3. Balilihan and Trinidad gave an identical 11-1 result. So which leaders failed to deliver?
5. Prior to November 28 last year, no party meetings or consultations were done. The chairmanship was turned over to Chatto only on the said date, which was already closer to the last filing of the COC. In fact, Chatto was to succeed the Bohol chairmanship of the party when all the slots in the 2nd and 3rd District were already filled up by Aumentado without due consultation and courtesy. It was like turning over to a new captain a ship about to sail with crewmembers who can turn out to be pirates.
Party disunity is a natural consequence of Aumentado’s grand design to create two slates in the province. Chatto inherited the seeming discord within the Lakas-Kampi-CMD. This is a scenario that was conspicuously preluded and manifested by the shift of Herrera to the Nacionalista Party while the followers were instructed to remain in Lakas to serve his interest and of the NP.
No wonder, Atty. Tomas Abapo, former provincial administrator and alter ego of Aumentado, has been consistently harping that there are several mayors who are with Lakas but only in paper. These Lakas in faces are actually NP by hearts and deeds. Their manifestos have only sadly confirmed this fact!
Although the COMELEC has ruled Aumentado as the official Lakas congressional bet in the 2nd District, the same ruling has still been appealed. Prudence and law dictate that in the absence of a final ruling to that effect, both Aumentado and Mayor Judith Cajes are still in the running as far as who is the ultimate official candidate is concerned.
The signatories assailed the national and provincial party leaderships for indifference to their cries. Yet, they affirmed that Chatto and other new Lakas officials have been constantly calling meetings in municipal and barangay levels. This is precisely the kind of participative governance and leadership Chatto has been known for, and in which the leaders down the grassroot level are consulted on party concerns. Despite being notified of meetings, the party dissenters refused to honor the invitation. Worst, they labeled by alibi their interest-serving absence as the root of their own confusion.
For one, the visit of presidential aspirant Gibo Teodoro has offered us a glimpse of their mask and sinister attitude. For how could they ever explain their meeting with Villar in Cebu City on February 21, 2010 while Teodoro and the rest of the loyal Lakas partymates gathered in Balilihan on the birthday celebration of Chatto? Due notices were sent. Who, then, are the hypocrites, treacherous, liars and excusers by alibis?
It is disheartening that these self-claimed victims of hypocrisy and treachery maliciously and advertently gain mandate in all their political dealings.
This leads us to the inevitable question: How could they have done all these if indeed they have been loyal to the party all these years?
6. That Chatto's leadership is inutile and ineffective.
Leadership is one issue we love the people to decide. It is, modesty
aside, one argument that we can hardly lose. But the issue here is not about leadership. It is rather about a GRAND DESIGN of DECEPTION and DISLOYALTY---or LOYALTY TO INTEREST---by creating 2 slates to serve Lakas less and satisfy NP more. Or is it feeding NP with Lakas food?
7. That the signatories are treated second-class citizens in the Lakas Party.
This is another patent alibi in laying the predicate of their argument for bolting Lakas and, happily, campaign for NP in the open. Everybody in the party is treated equally.
8. That Aumentado lost in 2004 elections in Balilihan.
Aumentado lost in Balilihan not just in 2004 election but also in 2001. But here is the fairest equation. COMELEC records show that in the 2001 election, Aumentado lost in Balilihan by 2,253 votes when then Vice Gov. Chatto and Gov. Relampagos were in tandem. Relampagos lost in the Bohol-wide count. In their 2004 rematch, Aumentado, already the governor, lost to Relampagos by only 52 votes in the same town. Hence, he won 2201 more votes in Balilihan over the same opponent in their second and final fight. Aumentado got the additional huge vote when he and Chatto joined on account of the then unification. And figures won’t lie.
9. That Chatto will benefit from the support of LDP Candidates in some towns.
Records should be put straight that Chatto never called Relampagos to
issue LDP CONAs to opponents of Lakas candidates. Instead, it was Aumentado who called Relampagos to issue LDP CONAs to the mayoralty candidates in Ubay and Getafe. In fact, Chatto was surprised why no Lakas CONA was requested by Aumentado from national Lakas for the Getafe candidate when Aumentado himself facilitated the release of the CONA photocopies from the National Lakas Office for Dagohoy and Talibon. This was evidenced by his text message addressed to the National Office for the CONAs of Dagohoy and Talibon only.
These are NOT excuses and alibis. These are RELIABLE FACTS---the PLAIN TRUTH.
We believe that when conscience is threatened by extreme short supply, we must frustrate all attempts to poison the people’s mind. With strong mutual faith and trust---and being a people endowed with intellect that cannot fail for good ends---we cannot miscalculate our fate.
We are convinced more than ever that between hypocrisy and deception, it always comforts to choose truth. By this conviction we, therefore, declare and reiterate, with all the might of our conscience and capacities, to stay one and committed under the party leadership of our gubernatorial standard bearer Cong. Edgar M. Chatto. HE IS THE BEST TO LEAD BOHOL next no matter how worst the lies against us and the people.
In this prelude to another mandate come election day, we can only ask
for God’s wisdom and guidance.
PADAYON BOL-ANON
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