“It really all depends on the support of Gov. Nanay and Tatay,” this city’s Vice Mayor Christian Halili said in an interview yesterday during a tree-planting activity initiated by the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) here. The governor and her husband are commonly referred to as “Nanay” and “Tatay” in local politics.
This, after Halili, in his short talk before the tree planting, commented, “Hindi pa po mayor. Pero malapit na,” after someone cited him as the next mayor of this city.
“I will come to that, depending on the support of Nanay and Tatay. But I suppose there is the principle of the equity of the incumbent so the mayor (Marino “Boking” Morales) would have to be the official candidate of the Kambilan,” he added.
Kambilan stands for Kapanalig at Kambilan deng Memalen Pampanga organized as a local party in 2012 in the time for the 2013 elections.
Most Pampanga politicians ran under the local party chaired by the governor. Halili won as independent candidate in the 2013 elections but expressed hope that he could be absorbed by a political party in the 2016 polls.
Incumbent Mayor Morales is reportedly seeking re-election under the premise that he is in his first term as city mayor, after Mabalacat was declared chartered city in 2012.
Expected to challenge Morales him is provincial board member Cris Garbo who is also a Kambilan member.
The support of the Pinedas in local elections is much sought after amid the couple’s wide network and financial resources.
In Angeles City, contending mayoral candidates, including incumbent Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan and Vice Mayor Vicky Vega, were reported to be claiming to be under the patronage of the Pinedas for the 2016 elections.
City of San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago ran and won in 2013 under both the Liberal Party and Kambilan, an “anomaly,” given that both parties had candidates for governor in suspended priest and former Gov. Eddie Panlilio and Pineda, respectively.
Of Pampanga’s two component cities and 19 towns, the ruling LP has only four mayors – Arayat’s Emmanuel “Bon” Alejandrino, Candaba’s Rene Maglanque, Guagua’s Dante Torres and Masantol’s Dan Guintu. And all have “close coordinative links” with the governor, “with equal access to Capitol programs and projects,” said a mayor who asked for anonymity.
“Lahat naman kami ay nakikinabang sa kabaitan ni Nanay at Tatay, so saan ka pa?” he said.
