Electioneering begins in JP

By PERCY A OSTONAL

A SUBTLE form of early electioneering was witnessed recently in some baranggays in Mambulao, carried out by CamNorte Governor Edgardo A Tallado and ex-mayor William A Lim.

Reports reaching MWBuz said that Tallado and company had brought a medical and dental mission (including good grooming) to a number of baranggays.

The source said the group attracted a big crowd who came for the purported medical and dental services and who were also potential voters.

However, after the members of the entourage were introduced -- party members from Jose Panganiban including new and potential candidates for the local elections -- the mission packed up and moved on to the next baranggay.

Without telling the people that he was running for re-election next year, Tallado allegedly introduced himself as the governor of CamNorte.

Lim, likewise did the same, but short of announcing that he was running for mayor next year.

The said medical mission had disappointed the baranggay residents, the source said.

“The mission did not help the local people with their medical needs because it only spent a few hours in the baranggay, which was not enough to cover all the people expecting to be served,” according to the source.

The next thing the people knew was that the group went to the next baranggay for the same exercise of introducing and re-introducing the members of the political party and doing “half-baked” medical services.

The source told MWBuzz: “Ginagawa nilang tanga ang mga taga-baranggay with their style of early campaigning ….”

The strategy of conducting medical mission had obviously spared Tallado’s party from violating Comelec’s ban on early electioneering, the source said.