“You have to put your name in the hat to be considered a candidate for vice mayor in the present administration of Mayor Pamintuan,” he said here on Friday.
Nepomuceno said he is confident that Partido ABE Kapampangan will choose and nominate him as the most viable candidate for vice mayor of the administration party at its convention to be set soon.
Nepomuceno confirmed that his family had earlier sealed a political alliance with the present administration.
“There is a saying that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics but only permanent interest. But this time, it applies only to the permanent interest of the city and for the good of Angelenos,” Nepomuceno said.
“We realized that the best thing is to support the present administration,” he said.
The youthful city councilor clarified that before he joined the administration party, he went to see former congressman and mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, a political rival of Pamintuan, in his residence at Jungle Base to tell him of his plans.
Nepomuceno said Lazatin told him: “Attorney nung isip mu yang makasanting keka ampo ke siyudad okay mu (Attorney if you think that is what is good for you and the city then it’s okay).” “Emuku pigaganakan (don’t worry about me),” Nepomuceno quoted Lazatin as telling him.
“I also asked him if he will run and he said he won’t run. He will just really help,” he said.
“Malino ngan pu ing gewa ku, eku buri deng aliwang tau ing feeling da they were slighted or balamu me-traydur la na pane rang akakit keng pulitika (It’s all clear what I did, I don’t like other people to feel that they were slighted or were betrayed like what they always see in politics),” he said.
“Mig-paalam ku pu. I told him my intention to run for vice mayor and secondly I told him that we talked to the camp of Mayor Ed regarding 2016 where we realized and agreed that we both have the same good plans for Angeles,” Nepomuceno said.
He said, “It was in that meeting where we coined the term ‘Angeles for Angelenos and Angelenos for Angeles.’”
“Ali tana kailangan pang mag import pang manungkulan agyu tanang itaguyud itang programang makasanting keng Angeles (We don’t need to import another executive because we can also administer the programs that’s good for Angeles),” Nepomuceno said obviously referring to Senator Lito Lapid who has declared his intention to run for mayor of the city in 2016.
Nepomuceno said he did not go to the press conference last December 26 at the Angeles Fried Chicken restaurant where Lapid declared his intention to run for mayor of Angeles out of respect to the senator.
“Nung ekurin maka- tangu kang senator, ekunepa buring harapan pota pag kaharap ke eku maka ali, maragul ku rin respetu kaya (If I cannot say yes to the senator then I would rather not face him because if I face him, I might not be able to say no. I have a lot of respect for him),” he added.
Nepomuceno said Senator Lapid is like a brother to his father, former Vice Gov. Robin Nepomuceno, because his grandfather, former Mayor Francisco Nepomuceno, is the senator’s wedding sponsor.
“Mikaluguran la (They are friends) but when it comes to decisions in politics, they have their own minds,” the councilor said of his father and Lapid.
“Balu da pu kayabe ngan yan keng pulitika (They know that this is all part of politics). Nothing personal,” he said. Nepomuceno reiterated that the tandem with the mayor is still undergoing the process. “But I feel confident the alliance was forged in the belief that it is for the good of the city,” he said.
Asked if his alliancewith the present administration is in preparation to seek a higher office in the 2019 elections, he laughed and said: “Marayu pa pu ita ini pang kasalukuyan ing asikaswan tamu (Tha’s still very far away what we want to do is deal with the present first),” he replied.
