Lakas stalwart Nograles bolts party
Administration coalition ‘out of control’
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:16:00 04/12/2010
MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE)Speaker Prospero Nograles has confirmed plans of bolting the administration Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) coalition for a possible alliance with Senator Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party.
Nograles said the party is being run without proper consultation among its members, including him, one of the vice-chairmen.
Nograles is running for mayor in Davao against Vice Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of incumbent Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
“The administration party is out of control. It is in total disarray, contrary to what is being bandied about in the media,” he said.
“Hilong-hilo na kami sa nangyayari sa partido (We’re so confused about what’s happening in the party). Even as a senior officer of the party, I hardly know what's happening because they make decisions without the courtesy of even briefing us. Kahit man lang tawag sana para hindi naman kami nagugulat sa mga lalabas na balita kinabukasan (They don’t even call us, so that we won’t be surprised by the news that come out the following day). Now what's the use of being with the administration party? I don't even get any text saying hi or hello from our party standard bearer?” Nograles added in a statement.
A Philippine Daily Inquirer source, who asked not to be identified to avoid severing personal and professional ties with the Speaker, said he saw orange t-shirts inside the Nograles’ residence on Saturday.
“Basta marami ng Villar shirts sa house (There are many Villar shirts in the house),” the source told the Inquirer.
Nograles said he has yet to decide if he would join the camp of Villar, but said the NP standard-bearer is a "viable option" who could end the spate of killings in the province.
"We can run the campaign of the Team Nograles without any help from any party but I think that Manny Villar is a viable option because of his non-association with those
involved in human rights violations in Davao City,” Nograles said.
“I find comfort with the fact that under his administration, there is a good chance that all these genocide-like summary executions in Davao City will finally end. You cannot expect that from Nonoy because he is with Duterte, the main suspect of all these killings,” Nograles added.
Nograles lamented that while he is top-ranking official of the party in Davao region, the party designated Madeline “Bebot” Marfori, the presidential assistant for special project as the Lakas-Kampi-CMD “pointman” in Davao City.
Marfori is a supporter of Duterte and his daughter Sara, Nograles claimed.
According to Nograles, the Dutertes and Marfori's cousin-in-law Simeon, who is head of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries, are supporting the candidacy of Liberal Party standard-bearer Senator Benigno “Nonoy” Aquino III.
But Marfori, in a statement sent to the media, said Nograles must not drag her into his decision to bolt Lakas.
“It is his choice. Bahala siya (It’s up to him)...I am not with Lakas. I am only working for Gibo and I do not support any local candidates," she said.
“Who are they trying to fool? It is an open secret in Davao City that the Marforis are for the Dutertes and for Noynoy and yet the party appoints a Marfori as their pointman? I can only sympathize with Gibo (Teodoro) because in the final analysis, he is counting on people with interests other than to make him win his fight,” Nograles said.
In one instance, Nograles said that the group of Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro went to Davao without the courtesy of informing him about their presence and only decided to inform him when they needed people to mobilize for their activities.
Nograles said he was also not invited to the party's national executive meeting last week when it reorganized following Teodoro's resignation as chairman.
“I'm a senior party member and they only want to use me for their convenience? I think that is foul. I have been a good soldier but I also deserve some respect,” Nograles said.
Jeffrey M. Tupas and Nico Alconaba, Inquirer Mindanao