PANTAO RAGAT, Lanao del Norte—Original stalwarts of the ruling Liberal Party on Tuesday declared their old party as “enemies” and backed the presidential bid of Vice President Jejomar Binay of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance.
In a show of force, Pantao Ragat Mayor Eleanor Dimaporo-Lantud brought with her to Binay 27 “LP originals” during a campaign rally attended by 5,000 UNA supporters.
“Your enemies are our enemies now. Just tell us when to charge. Susugod kami. We are ready anytime,” Dimaporo-Lantud declared amid loud cheers from the crowd.
“We act like one. We adhere to the principle ‘All for one, one for all.’ We fight to the end,” she said.
Dimaporo-Lantud brought victory to the LP in the 2010 presidential polls that catapulted President Benigno Aquino III to power and during the 2013 midterm polls where Team PNoy won nine of the 12 seats in the Senate.
Dimaporo-Lantud’s then LP slate also won in those elections.
Dimaporo-Lantud is now running for governor under the UNA banner.
The LP originals who joined her in jumping ship to UNA were Munai Mayor Maquiling and Baloi Mayor Hanifa Ali, who are running for congressmen in Districts 1 and 2, respectively, and 24 other provincial candidates.
Dimaporo-Lantud showed her power and influence by choosing to suspend school on a school day for Binay’s campaign rally.
The school grounds of the Pantao Ragat Central School were filled with supporters.
School officials said the students would be made to take make-up classes this weekend.
Several armored personnel carriers and soldiers also lined the streets to secure the rally site and the UNA candidates.
Not one campaign poster, banner or tarpaulin from other presidential candidates, particularly from the Liberal Party or the PDP-Laban could be seen in the whole of Pantao Ragat.
Along the highway, however, were billboards announcing an ongoing road project funded under the government’s bottom-up budgeting program, which was led by Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II when he was still secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
In her welcome remarks, Dimaporo-Lantud hit the administration’s “straight path” as a sham.
She said due to “LP arrogance,” the administration party lost 27 original party members in Lanao del Norte to its arch-rival, UNA, on the eve of the filing of Certificates of Candidacy in October 2015.
Dimaporo-Lantud brought to Binay the 27 LP originals a day after they were allegedly shabbily treated by the LP officials at the Balay headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City.
“We were at Balay headquarters of the Liberal Party. They just passed by us like they don’t know us. Like they did not see us. The true character of LP people showed,” Dimaporo-Lantud said.
Dimaporo-Lantud said the LP was aware of the LP originals in Lanao del Norte but preferred newcomers.
Dimaporo-Lantud is the daughter of the late Caromatan Mayor Sultan Naga Dimaporo, brother of the late congressman Mohammad Ali Dimaporo.
On Tuesday, Binay said he would build a Malacañang in Mindanao so that he could personally see that progress reaches the island when he becomes president.
“I promise you that I will personally address the problems besetting Mindanao. My plan is to establish a Malacañang in Cebu. Similarly, I will build a Malacañang here in Mindanao,” Binay told the more than 3,000 supporters in a campaign rally in Lanao del Norte.
After the first presidential debate in Cagayan de Oro, Binay and his running mate Senator Gregorio Honasan II barnstormed Opol and Lugait in Misamis Oriental, and Iligan and Pantao Ragat in Lanao del Norte.
Binay assured supporters that his administration would encourage investors, pursue reforms and provide support for infrastructure development in the region. He also stressed that he would use his competence and experience in public service to pursue lasting peace for Mindanao.