Potential investment ... Another group of Chinese investors this time
is looking at putting millions of US dollars in the economic zone in Larap. Two
executives of the still unidentified Chinese company recently met Mambulao
Mayor Ricarte (Dong) Padilla at his residence to discuss a project that aims to
process minerals at the EZ. The prospective investors will set up a plant to
process earth materials to be sourced at a quarry at Napaod, Labo, Cam Norte.
Padilla has invited the two Chinese executives for a tour of an export
processing zone (EPZ) in Cavite
after which they would execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding
the proposed project. The company will export the processed minerals that
included gold, copper and iron to mineral–hungry industries in China.
Political family … (From left) Roy Padilla IV (aka
Cuatro); Vice-Mayor Ariel (Aye) Non; vice-gubernatorial candidate Boy Padilla;
and Mayor Ricarte (Dong) Padilla … two of them are targets of assassination
plots.
Vice-mayor and re-electionist Ariel (Aye) Non stresses a point during a night sortie at sitio Patiao, in Mambulao recently. Despite death threats, he continues to come out in meetings with voters to explain their development program that he says has to continue progressively and this could be possible only if the people would vote straight in favor of the eight Sangguniang Bayan candidates under the "Dong-Aye" tandem.
Security concerns ... Roy Padilla (Casimiro Jr), who
is running for the seat of the vice-governor in CamNorte (NUP) was reliably
tipped off by the intelligence community that he is a target by a black motorcycle-riding
gunmen. The alleged hit men were earlier caught by a CCTV at the vicinity of
Padilla’s residence, who were also observed by the candidate’s security men
while moving around the area. The intel group has described how the suspects
looked and were being profiled. Jose Panganiban Vice-Mayor Ariel (Aye) Non, who
is seeking re-election, has the same concern. A group of alleged gunmen were
monitored to have been casing his residence. Earlier, his former residence in
Parang was sprayed with automatic bullets by still unidentified gunmen one
early dawn. That time, the house was being occupied by his parents-in-law. Aye
suspects that the same group is trying to carry out a hit, sponsored by someone
reportedly known to the vice-mayor. Roy Padilla suggested that he armed himself
and beefed up his security and that of his family. Padilla also urged Aye to
install a better type of close-circuit TV, similar to what he has at his home.
However, Aye would hear none of it, and instead suggested an option to expose
the plot. MWBuzz was present at a closed-door meeting that devised a plan to
forestall the threats. Aye, in a campaign sortie at Sitio Patiao later,
revealed the plot to the public. The question Padilla and Non were asking: Who
will benefit politically in case either of them is killed?
Bayong King ... Every time Tres Panganiban spoke in
LP’s nightly sortie around Mambulao, he was armed with a prop – a bayong. He
told the audience that he would win with votes he will amass using the
“bayong”. In a lengthy oration that put some of his SB colleague-candidates to
near-sleep, Panganiban promised to provide free education to the
less-privileged youth of Mambulao. What the listeners remembered most often was
about his being a top-notch student of UP Los Banos and student leader. He
hinted that he would rock the SB floor during a council debate.
SB candidate Artem Andaya … more benefits for
Mambulao’s senior citizens.
Promises to senior citizens ... Pushing for a better
welfare for the elderly in Mambulao, SB candidate Artem Andaya has pledged for
wider pension coverage for indigent senior citizens. As of now, indigent senior
citizens from 77 and above are entitled to a P1,500 pension every quarter, or
P500 a month, which would pay for their medicines and other personal needs. The
pension is provided under a law that promotes the welfare of senior Filipino
citizens. Andaya told a group of
potential voters during a night campaign sortie at Purok 5 in Parang, that not
all of those indigents in Mambulao aged 77 and above are getting the monetary
benefits. He also pledged to work an ordinance that would provide a toilet to
all households along Parang beach, as one way to help rehabilitate the
shoreline after being inundated with community rubbish from plastic materials
to human excreta. A local tourism advocate, Andaya said putting Mambulao on the
local tourism map would benefit the local people economically and pledged to
help the tourism initiatives of the municipal government under Mayor Ricarte
“Dong” Padilla.
Re-electionist Mayor Ricarte (Dong) Padilla …
some more time needed to complete his development program.
Vice-mayoral candidate William A Lim aka
Walim … full support to Mayor Ricarte Padilla’s program for progress. – All MWBuzzpics by AP HERNANDEZ
Numbers game ... Voters living along the Parang
shoreline told MWBuzz that they never understood the significance of voting
straight for Mayor Ricarte Padilla’s Sanguniang Bayan candidates until this
blogger explained. “Ang madalas po naming marinig sa mga nangangapanya dito ay
ganito: Supurtahan po natin si Dong Padilla para maging tuloy- tuloy ang
pag-unlad sa ating bayan ... ngayon lang po namin nadinig ang mga ganitong
paliwanag ninyo sa amin kung bakit mahalaga ang straight voting o ang mas
nakararaming myembro ng konseho na galing sa linya ni Meyor Dong ... tama po
kayo ... kung iboboto nga si Meyor Dong pero hindi naman po matibay ang
pundasyon ng kanyang bahay na ang katumbas ay ang mas nakararaming miyembro
mula sa kanyang listahan, eh seguradong babagsak din siya.” One resident said
that it would be difficult for them to vote straight as this would mean
sacrificing a candidate from Parang who belongs to the Liberal Party. Para po
sa amin, hindi na kailangan pa naming lumayo para magkaroon lang ng isang
konsehal na tutulong sa aming mga pangangailangan bagama’t hindi po siya
kabilang sa mga tao ni mayor. Pero kung kinakailangan po na isakripisyo namin
ang mga pabor mula sa kanya na magtatagal lamang naman ng tatlong taon ng
kanyang panunungkulan kapalit ng mga benipisyong tatanggapin ng mas
nakararaming taga-Mambulao mula sa maunlad na bayan, ay papayag po kaming
mag-straight voting.” He was amazed to know that the real battle for progress
takes place on the floor of the municipal council because it is here were
proposals for development are either passed by the SB members or voted down
over one reason or the other. And since the role of the opposition is to
fiscalize, which actually means “to block, to oppose or to thwart” any
image-enhancing program forwarded by the incumbent administration, a majority
number from the Liberal Party headed by William A Lim would always aim to stop
or frustrate any initiatives for progress. They would not jeopardize
Mambulao-LP’s interest by allowing the administration to soar high with its
people-focused projects.
P1,000 per head ... The on-going rate for one vote in
Daet a few days ago was P1,000, courtesy of the moneybags from the Kapitolyo.
It only shows how desperate incumbent provincial governor Edgardo Egay Tallado
is in his bid to cling to power. He may not have the funds, but his “friends”
do – businesses that are just too willing to help in the name of business
survival. What do you do if the Kapitolyo’s top guy tells you not to supply the
building materials needs of his rivals in politics? What does a rival who’s
trying build an infrastructure for one beneficiary community do if the cement
supplier tells him that he was ordered to hold his deliveries to your project?
Sort of economic sabotage, you see. P1,000 per vote seems too small right now
when compared to the money it would become on polling day. A source from Daet
said one moneybag was spending at the rate of P7 million a day to cover the
votes. But it’s not really a problem when recouping it. The money in the cookie
jar is just too massive and ready for the taking to worry about the daily cost
of buying votes. But the capitol seat has to be won at all cost. And the money to
spend doesn’t matter much this time - it's the seat, stupid.
For feedback, email the bogger:
ahernandez@thenational.com.pg and alfredophernandez@y7mail.com
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