CLARK FREEPORT – She remains an ally and supporter of beleaguered former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and for this, she expects Kapampangans to support her senatorial bid next year.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has expressed confidence she would bring with her some 2.5 million solid Cebuano votes for the United National Alliance (UNA) her local party is slated to ally with.
In press briefing Sunday (May 13) before a speaking engagement in Angeles City, Garcia, who is on her last term as Cebu governor, said some 2.5 million registered voters in Cebu form the country’s “single biggest voting bloc.”
Garcia said this would benefit the United National Alliance (UNA) with which her local party One Cebu is allying itself with.
UNA is led by former Pres. Joseph Estrada who is running for mayor of Manila, Vice President Jejomar Binay who is reportedly eyeing the presidency in 2016, and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
“Our local party’s name One Cebu speaks for itself. We are the biggest local political party with no less than 85 percent of local politicians in Cebu being members or allies,” she stressed.
“In 2016, One Cebu party support could be crucial,” she said, as she recalled that during the 2004 presidential elections, Cebu gave former Pres. Arroyo a huge margin of one million votes.
Garcia said she has remained a supporter of ex-Pres. Arroyo who is now under detention at the V. Luna Memorial Hospital for medical treatment amid graft and corruption charges against her.
“We supported former Pres. Arroyo and she did a lot for Cebu, “ she said, even as she expressed hope that in return for this, Kapampangans would also support her senatorial bid in next year’s elections.
Garcia said countryside tourism would be among her major concerns once elected to the Senate, although she said she would nationalize her 12-point agenda that enabled Cebu province to progress under her term.
The agenda, she noted, covers not only tourism but also economic reforms, peace and order and, infrastructure program, among other concerns that led to the Cebu government’s now having a cash position of P28 billion.
Reacting to the recent declaration of US Pres. Barrack Obama on his support for same-sex marriage, Garcia stressed she would remain faithful to the position of the Catholic church against such marriages.
“I firmly believe in the Catholic religion and I will stay that way. Cebu is very religious as shown by the homage we pay to the Senor Sto. Nino,” she stressed.
