“We need a true president of the Filipino people, not a president of capitalists, of big people,” said Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, who is seeking reelection under the umbrella of Abeka, said at the Balitaan forum of the Capampangans in Media, Inc. at Bale Balita in Clark Freeport.
Abeka, however, has yet to decide on who among the parties, if not presidential aspirant, to support.
Abeka has about 33,000 card-carrying members in this city, but is said to be so dominant that its candidates are likely to be backed by some 200,000 local voters.
Pamintuan admitted that his local party is being courted by leaders from national political parties, but noted that his party has yet to decide on whether to support any of the presidential candidates of these parties.
He expressed disappointment over the failure of past administrations to push the full blast development of the Clark International Airport, noting that interests of influential contributors to the campaign kitty of past presidential candidates somehow stunted plans for the airport.
Duterte
“This is the time to choose our national leaders (in the 2016 polls) or face the routine which is rotten to the core. Rody (Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte) is right in advocating that the pork barrel should be diverted instead to local government units which know the needs of local folk,” he said.
Pamintuan, who is running for a third and last mayoral term in next year’s polls, is being challenged by Sen. Lito Lapid of Lakas-CMD party. A survey conducted by a university here a week ago, however, showed Pamintuan way ahead of Lapid in the local voters’ choice for mayor.
Pamintuan had won overwhelmingly in the 2010 and 2013 elections in this city, disabling the hold of the political Lazatin and Nepomuceno clans in local politics.
He was named a winner in the search of Outstanding Mayors of the World and only recently received two more awards from tourism groups, including the Department of Tourism for promoting local tourism, as well as culture and arts. He was cited for creating six parks within 11 months in this city and removing ugly so-called spaghetti wires of telecoms and an electric firm in mayor thoroughfares without cost to the government.
