CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – First it was Rep. Cynthia Villar. Now comes comebacking Senator Jamby Madrigal.
The two stalwarts of Liberal Party’s Team PNoy have found their separate ways to the Pampanga Capitol to get the endorsement of Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda, the very nemesis of their party’s standard provincial standard bearer, former Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio.
Since late last year, long before she was named in the LP senatorial slate, Villar has touched based with the Pineda administration, bringing to Pampanga livelihood programs through her Misis Hanepbuhay and Villar Foundation.
Villar provided the province six handloom weaving machines, with an estimated worth of P75,000 each and sponsored the handloom weaving training for 45 Aeta women from Floridablanca, Porac, and Mabalacat to kickstart a new home industry in the hinterlands.
Villar has made personal visits around Pampanga outside of the official LP sorties, her hands raised by Pineda and Mayor Marino Morales in one campaign caucus in Mabalacat City.
The congresswoman’s husband, Sen. Manny Villar, traces his roots on his mother’s side, a Bamba, to Sasmuan town. Last December, he was bestowed the t Most Outstanding Kapampangan Award in the field of business by the provincial government.
Of heroic stock
Last Monday, Madrigal was guest of honor at Pampanga’s commemoration of the 71st anniversary of the martyrdom of Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, her grandfather.
“(Madrigal) is an original Kapampangan of the heroic stock. Her grandfather had shown us the real meaning of patriotism. Let’s help in reviving another Abad Santos in the government service,” Pineda said in her remarks before she and the senatorial bet laid wreaths at the foot of the Abad Santos monument at the Capitol grounds.
Also part of the annual observance of Abad Santos Day in the province is the Abad Santos clan through Madrigal turning over to the provincial government two collegiate scholarship grants.
Pineda later endorsed Madrigal before the barangay chairmen of the province at the provincial peace and order council meeting held at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center.
To thunderous applause, Pineda said: “We need to support our cabalen to ensure more projects and programs in the province. For sure Jamby will not disappoint the Kapampangans.”
In turn, Madrigal said: “I am proud to be a Kapampangan because we are identified for being brave and willing to sacrifice everything for principle.”
This, even as she hailed Pineda for her “exceptional leadership.”
Open country
“Pampanga is open to all candidates for senators.”
So declared Pineda at the onset of the election campaign, stressing that the Kapampangan voters “are free to choose.”
“All the candidates, even the independent ones, must be given the chance to say their plans for Pampanga,” Pineda said then.
However, no senatorial bet other than Villar and Madrigal have been openly endorsed by the governor or by her Kambilan Party.
At the local level, Pineda has endorsed the candidacy of Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez of the Liberal Party for the third congressional district of Pampanga.
In her campaign sorties, Pineda has made her support for Rodriguez a part of her speeches, even in the other districts of Pampanga.
“I know I am not a party mate of Mayor Rodriguez, I am not the candidate of the administration. Mayor Rodriguez has his own governor. But I don’t care for myself, I don’t care about my own welfare, what is important is to address the problems of the province of Pampanga,” Pineda says, recognizing Rodriguez as the “right channel” to the Aquino administration for the much needed funds for the development of the province, especially for flood-mitigating projects.
In an interview with Punto!, the governor said: “Ing kapakanan da reng Kapampangan ing mumunang diling konsiderasyun deng manungkulan. Luwal ya keni ing pulitika, ing partido, pati na ing personal (The welfare of the Kapampangan is of prime importance here. This is beyond politics, party or the personal).
